It’s no secret that Volkswagen Group, the German behemoth that owns brands such as Audi, Bugatti and Lamborghini, is in financial trouble. Facing fierce competition from Chinese firms, the group already announced plans to lay off 50,000 employees in Germany alone by 2030, and the fate of several factories across the world has also become uncertain. We also received reports of the Volkswagen Group considering a simplified variant line-up for cars across its brands. It now appears the two-wheeler business will be impacted too.
- Ducati is one of the Volkswagen Group brands being evaluated for a possible sale
- In 2025, it reported EUR 925 million revenue and EUR 52 million operating profit
- Patritalia, another Italian company, had already made an offer for Ducati and MV Agusta
Ducati sale is under evaluation, but no decisions have been made yet
This isn’t the first time Ducati is being evaluated for sale
Claudio Domenicali, CEO of the Borgo Panigale manufacturer, confirmed that the parent group is evaluating the brand’s future. “We are aware of the shareholders’ plan to reevaluate its holdings. Ducati is one of these holdings, but no final decision has been made on Ducati yet: it’s one of the ongoing evaluations,” Domenicali told GPOne in a press interaction at the brand’s “Ducati 100 – A century on display” exhibition in Bologna, Italy. To be clear, this doesn’t mean Volkswagen Group is bent on selling Ducati; it merely confirms that it is evaluating that possibility. The brand is among 600 of the group’s 2,000 businesses being reviewed. Now, Audi CEO Gernot Dollner has confirmed Domenicali’s claim, saying, “It’s part of the evaluation process that we’ll also talk about Ducati, but nothing has been decided.”
Bloomberg reported in early June that Volkswagen Group’s supervisory board approved slimming down its portfolio by a third, with the layoffs being a part of it, and approved the sale of a 51 percent of its stake in Everllence ship-engine unit, which is expected to bring EUR 7.4 billion. In contrast, a Ducati sale is expected to bring around EUR 1.25 billion.
This isn’t the first time Ducati is being evaluated for sale. The group acquired Ducati in 2012 and then considered selling it in 2017 before quickly changing its mind. The Italian superbike manufacturer has steadily become synonymous with innovation in motorsport and has been highly successful in the World Superbike Championship (WSBK), MXGP and, of course, MotoGP. Ducati reported revenue of EUR 925 million and operating profit of EUR 52 million in 2025.
Ducati already has a potential buyer in Patritalia
An Italian investor who wants to have all-Italian technicians, MV Agusta and all MotoGP classes
If Volkswagen Group decides to hand off Ducati, there is already someone waiting in the lobby. In August, Italy-based Patritalia expressed more than an interest in acquiring Ducati, after doing the same for MV Agusta, which is also in hot water. However, some of Patritalia’s plans for the brands have already riled up quite the chatter, according to Visordown. The group has expressed interest in taking over as the sole engine supplier for Moto2, which is currently powered by Triumph, while also advocating for a more open market across all three MotoGP classes. Secondly, it has outlined a preference for Ducati to have a predominantly Italian workforce. Volkswagen Group had previously made it clear that Ducati isn’t up for sale, but considering things have changed since then, we will have to await further developments.
Triumph has been the sole engine supplier for Moto2 since 2019, when it took over from Honda. It also recently announced that it is bringing a new engine with increased peak power delivery to the class from next year. Moto3 is slated to get Yamaha as the sole engine supplier from 2028, with the R7 engine heavily modified and adapted for the class, replacing KTM and Honda. Changing either Triumph or Yamaha would require their consent, as well as consent from Liberty Media, the current owner of the MotoGP brand. Considering that both companies have announced plans for the future and that Volkswagen hasn’t been receptive to Patritalia’s bids so far, its aspirations have a slim chance of becoming a reality at the moment.
Sources: GPOne, Bloomberg and Visordown
Vishal Venugopal
Ved Janve
