Ducati are to invest €121 million (around £105m) into their Italian operations after the country’s Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy signed off a major development agreement with the Bologna manufacturer.
The plan, named ‘Ducati Raise the Bar’, will see more than €99m (around £85m) spent on industrial research and experimental development, with the aim of expanding the model range and introducing new, more sustainable technologies. It also covers changes to how Ducati build their bikes.
The investment is backed by a €33.5m (around £28.7m) non-repayable grant from the Ministry, allocated to the research and development side of the project.
Ducati say the money is intended to strengthen the company’s ‘long-term global competitiveness’ and reinforce their position in Italy’s Motor Valley – the Emilia-Romagna region that’s home to much of the country’s high-performance vehicle industry. The firm add that the programme will have knock-on benefits for the wider Italian supply chain and help develop specialist skills and expertise across the sector.
The news comes at a notable moment for Ducati, who are celebrating their centenary this year. It also lands just weeks after CEO Claudio Domenicali was forced to address renewed speculation that parent company the Volkswagen Group could sell the brand , as the German giant looks to make cutbacks across its global business.
Speaking to MCN during World Ducati Week at Misano from July 3-5, Domenicali played down the rumours. “Ducati is in a fantastic shape, we are turning 100 years old, I think, in the best ever shape of the company,” he said. “It’s about the shareholder decision and the VW Group is very big, there are many companies.”
He added: “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.”
Ducati were acquired by VW Group in 2012 and sit within the group’s ‘Progressive’ brand structure, directly controlled by Audi, alongside Bentley and Lamborghini. A VW Group statement on July 9 suggested its model line-up could be halved by 2030 as it looks to reduce complexity, with the wider business having ‘undergone a fundamental realignment over the past three years’.
A £105m commitment to research, development and production in Italy is a clear statement of intent about the brand’s future.
While Ducati’s future ownership is still officially unresolved, the ‘Raise the Bar’ programme suggests business as usual in Borgo Panigale – and, given the record World Ducati Week attendance figures, the centenary brand looks in rude health regardless of who owns it.
Ben Clarke began riding (legally) at 21-years-old when he passed his direct access one month before shipping his Yamaha XT660 R to Miami and embarking on a 13,500-mile tour of the USA and Central America. He's worked at MCN for the last six years, riding everything from super nakeds and superbikes to small-capacity electrics and scooters across several continents. In more recent years, he's worked closely with the bike kit team to bring you all the latest news and reviews about the bike-related products we all use every day.
Lover of V-twins and big singles, partial to a tour