[EKaru]

Out of nowhere CAR Magazine today has broken a story this morning that Audi entered an exclusive deal to buy motorcycle manufacturer Ducati. After re-checking our calendar to make sure it wasn't April 1, we took a closer look at the story. Penned by Georg Kacher, we don't question its accuracy in any way and as such it's worth considering the details.

Apparently Ducati is on the market and it's being suited by no less than Audi, Daimler (with whom there's a marketing deal with AMG), Mahindra and even Audi's parent company Volkswagen. All are interested in the Italian motorcycle manufacturer but Kacher is revealing via CAR that Audi has an exclusivity deal that gives it first refusal - one that could very well see Ducati under Audi ownership by April.

Why Ducati?
Apparently Ferdinand Piech has been interested in Ducati for some time and is on the record for stating his regret for not snapping up the motorcycle marque when it went up on the market years ago.

Apparently Piech also looked into revival of the Horex brand, but it was determined that there wasn't enough brand recognition to make it worthwhile. Ducati, on the other hand, sells 40,000 motorcycles a year and has great brand recognition worldwide.

Why Audi?
One suggestion by Kacher why Ducati favors Audi is its brand positioning. Ducati chairman Andrea Bonomi is on the record stating 'Ducati is the two-wheel equivalent of Audi'. As a brand steward, Audi may likely be the best in the business for Bonomi.

There's also just a bit of motorcycle heritage at Audi. Look back past the one-off Audi 50-powered motorcycle prototype of the 70s and you'll see motorcycle brands with rich histories such as NSU and DKW. Audi also has its own outpost in Bologna with its Lamborghini unit, located just 25 km away from Ducati's own HQ.

Kacher suggests that a team of executives under the name 'Project Eagle' have begun to do their due diligence on the deal. Kacher estimates a price of €50m to €100m - low, but considering Audi will also have to assume the substantial debt of Ducati this explains the number. The actual price will be closer to €850m when you consider the debt burden.

Read more about this story via the CAR Magazine link below. We've also included a few Ducati links just in case you're curious.

http://forums.fourtitude.com/entry.p...ian-Motorcycle...

[RSRlover4life]

When I think of Ducati, the LAST thing I think of is Audi.

[BigNunz6]

Just what we need...motorcycles with ugly azz headlights

[Sharocks]

More unreliable vehicles that cost eons to fix, yay!

[RSRlover4life]

Well, Ducati's were always expensive. Thats why, I dont think Audi when i see them. I think Ferrari whenever I see a Duc

[Porshapwr]

So I should expect Ducatis to soon all be all-wheel drive with "twottro" badges all over them?

[cornerjunkie]

Wonder if this will influence their MotoGP team? They are shadowed by the big Japanese factories and their bike needs a lot of work. I know they dont want to be mid pack anymore, especially with Rossi on the bike. Maybe this will help in financing their development. But, the last brand I thought would buy out Ducati is Audi. Strange...

[Jonzny]

Smart move by Audi IMO

[rave426]

Originally Posted by Porshapwr

So I should expect Ducatis to soon all be all-wheel drive with "twottro" badges all over them?

twotro


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[Eau Rouge]

Audi ATV won't be long now. Rejoice AWD fanbois!

Srsly, maybe Ducati engineers will show Audi how to build fast RWD vehicle.