Ducati CEO, Claudio Domenicali has downplayed rumours that the Bologna brand may be sold by parent company the Volkswagen Group as the German giant prepares to make cutbacks in global markets.
Speaking to MCN during the World Ducati Week (WDW) centenary celebration at Misano World Circuit from July 3-5, his comments came just days before an official statement from the Group on July 9, which said that the wider company had ‘undergone a fundamental realignment over the past three years’.
“ Ducati is in a fantastic shape, we are turning 100 years old, I think, in the best ever shape of the company,” Domenicali told MCN. “It’s about the shareholder decision and the VW Group is very big, there are many companies.”
The Ducati boss said that the structure of the wider group was under continuous scrutiny, and continued: “So far actually there is no indication, so in Borgo Panigale we have no indication that this may happen in the next month, but this is everything that we can say.”
Acquired in 2012, Ducati is part of VW Group’s ‘Progressive’ brand structure, directly controlled by car brand Audi. They sit alongside Bentley , Lamborghini , and Audi – with the ‘Core’ names within the business consisting of Volkswagen, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Skoda, Seat, and Cupra. Porsche sits in its own ‘Sport Luxury’ segment.
Ducati’s recent WDW event in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy attracted more than 118,000 riders from 94 countries – including customers from both China and India that rode to the event. The brand also launched a Desmo450 SM supermoto concept as part of the birthday celebrations. The bike is set for a full reveal in September.
Although nothing is yet confirmed, the VW Group’s July 9 announcement suggested that its model lineup could be halved by 2030 to focus on key market segments, with CFO Arno Antlitz saying: “Despite the progress achieved, the cost reductions planned to date under the agreed programmes are not sufficient in the current economic and geopolitical environment.”
“We must instead fundamentally realign our business model and achieve structural, sustainable improvements,” he added.
“We can only achieve this by substantially reducing complexity – in our product portfolio and technology platforms.”
MCN approached the organisation for a comment but is yet to receive a response.
Ducati have already streamlined a number of models in recent years, with the Panigale V2 , Streetfighter V2 , Monster , Multistrada V2 , Hypermotard V2 , and DesertX now all sharing a single 890cc V-twin engine platform.
It’s not the first time a Ducati sale has been rumoured either – with previous suggestions cropping up in 2020, 2017, and 2015. Currently employing around 2000 people, the company wrapped up 2025 with 50,895 bikes delivered worldwide – down from 54,495 in 2024, 58,224 in 2023, and 61,562 in 2022.
Alongside discussing the future ownership structure, MCN also quizzed the CEO on why they don’t produce smaller-capacity machines for emerging markets like India – a move most recently deployed to great effect by Triumph with their single-cylinder 400 range , built in partnership with Bajaj Auto.
“Maybe it’s even a commercially good opportunity to have a small bike for Asia, but actually you dilute your positioning,” Domenicali explained. “If you actually focus and concentrate on bikes all big capacity – all above 800 cubic inch – all made with very high-quality material, all made with the best technology available – once…