AUDI buys Ducati

[Bbennett]

BMW / Husky motorcyle sales have gotten the attention of AUDI and so they did this:

Link: Audi buys Ducati

[Yeahoo Whoyah]

The next Duc will have Christmas lights around the headlights like an Audi, eh?

[Gregg]

 

I know we have seen the footage before but this is the version as if Hitler had bought Ducati - I cacked myself and I am a Rossi fan !

[Guzzi2Go]

  On 4/19/2012 at 5:01 AM, Gregg said:

 

I know we have seen the footage before but this is the version as if Hitler had bought Ducati - I cacked myself and I am a Rossi fan !

 

Must say I like this one better:

(Hitler's Honda VFR gets replaced by BMW GS) ;-)

[dark_bike]

  On 4/19/2012 at 4:43 AM, Yeahoo Whoyah said:

The next Duc will have Christmas lights around the headlights like an Audi, eh?

 

or maybe we get Audis with clattering clutches

[macguzzi]

v10 motorcycle?

[tikkanen]

Ducati 1098 TDI.......??? Hmm.....

[jrt]

  On 4/19/2012 at 8:19 PM, tikkanen said:

Ducati 1098 TDI.......??? Hmm.....

 

 

Awww, I have a TDI. It's a sweet little car.

I'd love to see this engine in a motorcycle. 0-60 in 'whenever'.

[The Monkey]

Wont be able to resist complimenting the next nerd I see on his testicle etcetera.... "nice bug!"

hmmm.... the peoples bike? Farfenoversquare! Too much, nobody told me there would be days like these.

[Skeeve]

  On 4/18/2012 at 8:11 PM, Bbennett said:

BMW / Husky motorcyle sales have gotten the attention of AUDI and so they did this:

Link: Audi buys Ducati

  SomeRandomDude said:

However, one expert has questioned the wisdom of the purchase.

 

"I can't think of a concrete reason for Audi to warrant a business case for buying Ducati," said Stefan Bratzel, director of the Center of Automotive, at the University of Applied Sciences in Bergisch-Gladbach.

 

"Ducati does not enhance Audi's business model in any way, it is just a trophy in the wall cabinet."

 

Well, for a concrete reason, what do y'all think of "adding to the patent pool?" Is there something Ducati owns that you can think of that Audi might want to apply to a cage? Better traction control software? I mean, besides the obvious halo f/x of owning another upscale brand [the same expert quoted above probably had the same thing to say when Audi acquired Lamborghini, after all... ]

 

What do you think?

[dark_bike]

  On 4/20/2012 at 3:03 PM, Skeeve said:

  On 4/18/2012 at 8:11 PM, Bbennett said:

BMW / Husky motorcyle sales have gotten the attention of AUDI and so they did this:

Link: Audi buys Ducati

  SomeRandomDude said:

However, one expert has questioned the wisdom of the purchase.

 

"I can't think of a concrete reason for Audi to warrant a business case for buying Ducati," said Stefan Bratzel, director of the Center of Automotive, at the University of Applied Sciences in Bergisch-Gladbach.

 

"Ducati does not enhance Audi's business model in any way, it is just a trophy in the wall cabinet."

 

Well, for a concrete reason, what do y'all think of "adding to the patent pool?" Is there something Ducati owns that you can think of that Audi might want to apply to a cage? Better traction control software? I mean, besides the obvious halo f/x of owning another upscale brand [the same expert quoted above probably had the same thing to say when Audi acquired Lamborghini, after all... ]

 

What do you think?

 

I had a look at what patents Ducati Motor Holding spa has, but thats nothing that could interest Audi in any big way. And if there's anything worth having it would be easier to take a licence. You don't buy a supermarket just to get a pint of milk.

I think it is a case of keeping up with the Jones's, or more to the point, the Quandts (who own a majority stake in BMW)

They have mass production cars, niche luxury cars and now they have a luxury motorcycle brand.

Exactly why Audi buys Ducati and not VW or the VAG holding is obscure to me.

Ferdinand Piëch has a controlling share in the whole lot and he is nothing if not ambitious.