More 2022 Ducati Models to Be Announced Including Panigale V4 SP2 and V4 R

Last fall, Ducati revealed nine new models over a series of online “World Première” events. That’s an impressive slate of new models, but it looks like Ducati isn’t done yet, announcing three more presentations to come, on Feb. 17, March 3, and March 10.

Ducati hasn’t provided any clues about what to expect from the three World Premières, or even how many models will be part of each episode. Motorcycle.com can confirm that two of the models will be a new Panigale V4 R and a Panigale V4 SP2. The proof comes from Ducati itself, or more specifically, the owner’s manual download page on Ducati’s official website. Though the manuals themselves aren’t available, the selection menus include options for a 2022 Panigale V4 R and a 2022 Panigale V4 SP.

The Panigale V4 R is a full series production model with a 998cc version of the Desmosedici Stradale engine, making it eligible for superbike racing classes. It was last offered as a 2020 model and is still eligible to race in World Superbike, but is due for an update.

We haven’t been able to verify any specifics about a new V4 R, but we expect some updates along the lines of what Ducati gave the 2022 Panigale V4 and V4 S. This will likely include new bodywork, reshaped aerodynamic winglets, and possibly upgrades to the engine. An updated gearbox may also be in the works, and there is online speculation Ducati may switch to a double-sided swingarm.

We do have more insight about a Panigale V4 SP2. The Panigale V4 SP, if you recall, was a numbered production model based on the V4 S and inheriting features of the Superleggera V4 such as its carbon fiber wheels, dry clutch and upgraded Brembo brakes. The SP2 will carry some of those upgrades, plus the recent updates to the V4 S.

The full spec sheet appears to verify other details specific to the V4 SP2 such as Brembo Stylema R calipers, a dry clutch, carbon wheels, an adjustable Öhlins steering damper, and numerous carbon components.

Regarding the name, the Panigale V4 SP2 follows the pattern established by the Ducati 851 which saw its a similar nomenclature for its SP (Sport Performance) models. In 1990, Ducati followed the 851 SP with an 851 SP2 (which introduced a displacement increase from 851cc to 888cc).

The 2022 Panigale V4 R and V4 SP2 will take up at least one, if not two of Ducati’s World Première episodes. We suspect one of the other episodes may be dedicated to an electric model.

The evidence for this theory comes to us via Vehicle Identification Number decoder filings Ducati submitted to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The VIN decoder, filed in last September, listed models from 2017 through 2022 including several project codenames.

Some of these codenames represented models that Ducati introduced in its first round of World Premières, such as the Streetfighter V2, which wasn’t listed by its commercial name on the VIN decoder. Ducati’s projects are typically given four-digit numbers, but one name sticks out here: the V20E Project.

If the name sounds familiar, it’s because it’s similar to the “V21L”, the codename given to Ducati’s MotoE prototype electric racebike. A track-only prototype has no need for a VIN, so it’s possible the V20E Project codename is for a production electric streetbike. Ducati has previously stated the goal of its MotoE participation is “to create, as soon as the technology allows it, a Ducati electric vehicle for road use that is sporty, light, exciting and able to satisfy all enthusiasts.” The wording made it seem like an electric Ducati streetbike is still a couple of years away, but the mention of a V20E Project in the VIN decoder suggests that it may come sooner than we expected.

Borgo Panigale, Bologna, 11 February 2022 – Ducati announces the dates of three new appointments of the Ducati World Première 2022 web series. The episodes with which the Bologna-based motorcycle manufacturer will complete the presentation of its 2022 model range will be published on Thursday 17 February, Thursday 3 March and Thursday 10 March at 4.00 pm (CET) on Ducati.com and on Ducati YouTube channel.

In July 2021, the special episode dedicated to the Panigale V2 Bayliss 1st Championship 20th Anniversary was the start of a journey consisting of seven exciting episodes, which made motorcyclists from all over the world dream, until the culminating moment with the presentation of the long-awaited DesertX : the bike created to enhance the adventure thrill without setting any limits.
In the first part of the 2022 web series Ducati presented 9 models: in addition to those already mentioned, the new products in the range are the Multistrada V2, the Ducati Scrambler Urban Motard and 1100 Tribute PRO, the Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak, the Streetfighter V2, the Streetfighter V4 SP and the Panigale V4 2022. All these new models can already be ordered from the Ducati dealer network.

This online presentation method, introduced starting from 2021, is part of the digital project with which Ducati is experimenting with new forms of interaction with the public from all over the world. The episodes were made available with subtitles in 6 languages (Italian, English, German, French, Spanish and Japanese) and in the period between September and December they generated approximately 5 million sessions on the Ducati website and more than 80 million impressions on the various social media channels of the Bologna-based motorcycle company.

Patrizia Cianetti, Ducati Marketing and Communications Director: “Authenticity is one of the essential characteristics of the Ducati brand. It is for this reason that the protagonists of the presentation videos of the new models in the range are precisely the people who think, devise, design and test these models here in Borgo Panigale. We are convinced that no one else could present the details of Ducati projects better than those people who actually work on them with dedication and passion throughout the whole year. The Ducati World Première web series, exploiting the power of digital channels, allows us to reach the large community of Ducatisti from all over the world, creating new opportunities for interaction and dialogue and overcoming the geographical and organizational barriers that have continued to remain so relevant in recent months.”

The three unreleased episodes of the web series will be visible on the dedicated page of the Ducati.com website and on Ducati’s YouTube channel, where the video “Ducati World Première 2022 – Best of” is also available: a special content that is a compilation of the best moments of the episodes already published ( find the direct link here).

Below is the calendar with the three new appointments of the Ducati World Première 2022 web series:

February 17, 2022: Ducati World Première – Episode 7
March 3, 2022: Ducati World Première – Episode 8
March 10, 2022: Ducati World Première – Episode 9

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