Back in June 2016, Audi CEO Rupert Stadler had denied the rumours of sale of Ducati brand to settle the dues of Volkswagen’s dieselgate fiasco. “Ducati is not for sale,” said Stadler in the interview last year.
However, the rumours have made a comeback as a recent report from news agency, Reuters suggests that Volkswagen is considering a possible sale of Ducati to help fund a strategic overhaul post the emissions scandal. The news agency received the tip of a possible sale of the Italian two-wheeler brand from two people close to the developments. It was previously reported that Volkswagen had set aside USD 14.7 billion for Dieselgate affected US customers.
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The sources told the news agency that the brand may approach its peers in China, Hero MotoCorp or other investors. It is still unclear if other global brands like Polaris, Harley Davidson, and the likes would be interested in buying the Italian marque.
One of the sources told the news agency that Ducati made annual earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of about 100 million euros and the Italian marque could fetch a valuation of up to 1.5 billion euros. There is still no official announcement from Audi.
The report further added that Volkswagen has appointed investment banking firm Evercore for evaluation of a possible sale of the Ducati brand. The Italian two-wheeler brand was acquired by Audi for about 860 million euros in 2012.
There was no response from Audi or Evercore when approached by Reuters. We hope to hear an official statement in the coming days. Meanwhile, let us know your views about a possible sale of Ducati through the comments section below.
Source: Reuters