Through a chain of parent companies and subsidiaries, Volkswagen also owns the popular Italian motorcycle brand Ducati. Now, it’s clear that Volkswagen will have to abandon it as part of a protracted crisis for a host of reasons. At least the agency shared relevant information Bloomberg.
Image source: Ducati.
According to Bloomberg, Volkswagen is currently optimizing its assets and leaving behind the most profitable ones. Apparently, although motorcyclists loved the sportbikes it produced, Ducati was no longer viewed as a profitable asset.
Oddly enough, Ducati was already a problematic asset for Volkswagen long before the geopolitical and technological upheaval it faced. As a result, the German company intends to sell Ducati in 2017, five years after it was acquired by Volkswagen subsidiary Audi. Today, Ducati is valued at approximately 1.25 billion euros.
It’s an open question whether Volkswagen has any other options besides abandoning its handful of world-famous motorcycle brands. There is a way out, of course, but to do so Germany will need to completely rethink its foreign policy, which is not even visible on the horizon.
