Audi to buy Ducati

Wasn't sure if this shouldn't be over in "Sprockets".

Read today that Audi is set to buy Ducati...for the sum of nearly 900 MILLION Euros. Will future product plans include AWD motorcycles?

This must be it.

It's a good thing that Motorcycles don't have CELs

mad_machine wrote: It's a good thing that Motorcycles don't have CELs

If they don't already they will soon

IDK if this is a good thing or a bad thing.

mad_machine wrote: It's a good thing that Motorcycles don't have CELs

A coworker just bought a brand new Ducati. The thing has as many (if not more) computers than my '03 TDI.

You bet it has a CEL...

By far, Ducati is my favorite bike. Not sure if I'm liking this or not....

Oh, crap. Audi is part of Volkswagen. I see bad things in Duc's future.

i don't think I like this.

Got an issue with Germans and motorcycles?

Hmmm....wonder how many times Ducati will change hands this decade.

I don't know what Audi will gain from it but I think Ducati should gain some engineering power that they're lacking. They're great at incremental improvement of what they have, but they don't really have the might to make leaps forward. They're competitive in WSB only because of very favorable rules and they're not in MotoGP where the playing field is more level. They just don't have the engineering power to be where they need to be. It might be a pleasant diversion for Audi to loan some brains and resources to making Ducati great instead of just really good.

Supposedly the purchase was 1.1 billion.

I'd like to think that if I had a billion dollars, I would definitely own Ducati right now.

I think its awesome! Hopefully Audi make Ducati profitable.

noddaz wrote: Got an issue with Germans and motorcycles?

Ya off road capabilities might be good but handling and mileage look like they might suffer!

I read a really good article recently talking about how VW's CEO likes to collect "trophy companies" and with almost 5 billion in cash to spend a year he certainly can.

Oh I would like to point out that Facebook spent one billion dollars for Instagram... I'd rather have Ducati, myself.

Osterkraut wrote: Oh I would like to point out that Facebook spent one billion dollars for Instagram... I'd rather have Ducati, myself.

Ooooh, that would have made for a good paper back in business school! Which $1billion company is really "worth" more, the start-up vaporware company with no revenue or the long-established Italian manufacturer losing money?

Ducaudi anyone??

mad_machine wrote: It's a good thing that Motorcycles don't have CELs

I LOL'ed for a long time.

I was going to say "great, now they'll be an even less-reliable Italian vehicle." But yours is so much better.