India's Hero considers acquisition of Ducati

[MotoKai]

Just now on Bloomberg:

BREAKING NEWS
Audi Said Poised to Buy Motorcycle-Maker Ducati for $1.1 Billion

By Chad Thomas - Apr 17, 2012 5:18 PM GMT+0800

Volkswagen AG (VOW)’s Audi is poised to purchase Italian motorcycle maker Ducati Motor Holding SpA from owner Investindustrial SpA for about 860 million euros ($1.1 billion), a person familiar with the matter said.Audi has reached an agreement with Investindustrial to buy the Bologna, Italy-based maker of luxury motorbikes, with VW’s supervisory board set to approve the deal tomorrow, said the person, who declined to be identified discussing the private negotiations. Audi and Investindustrial declined to comment.

[TB-Racing]

VW annual meeting this week and they will make an announcement just before the meeting, wait and see....

[MJH]

Yeah that is how it works, a first right to purchase is the same as purchasing unless another party come in and offers more…which is not likely to happen. VW basically set the initial offer so high that no others are willing to bid, they avoided a bidding war by doing that.


The wait and see time line is long…..the results of the investment will take years to play out.

[bigdamo]

Me wonders if they will keep the motogp effort going.Rossi better pull his finger out.

[MotoKai]

Me wonders if they will keep the motogp effort going.Rossi better pull his finger out.

Valentino Rossi Races Ferrari at Monza

By Bart Madson

Monday, April 16, 2012

Rossi-Kessel-2.jpg

Valentino Rossi

completed his Ferrari GT racing debut, the

MotoGP

superstar competing in the Blancpain Endurance Series season opener at Monza. Rossi teammed with his friend and compatriot Allessio (aka Uccio) Salucci to campaign the Kessel Racing Ferrari 458. The Italian duo finished 18th overall and eighth in the Pro Am ranks.
Having qualified 10th out of 55 entries, Rossi and Salucci were running up in ninth during the three-hour event when a collision with a backmarker set them back. Despite the holdup, which dropped the team to mid-pack, Rossi was able to claw the number 46 Monster Energy-liveried Ferrari back to 18th overall at the Italian circuit.

Rossi has dipped his toe into four-wheeled racing on numerous occasions. A frequent rally car competitor, Rossi was linked to possible jump to Formula 1 in 2006. The MotoGP GOAT tested F1 for Ferrari before going on to ink an extension with Yamaha to stay in MotoGP – later earning his eighth and ninth world titles in 2008 and 2009.

The nine-time world champion’s latest foray into auto racing comes amidst controversy surrounding his hapless Ducati tenure in MotoGP. In 2011, his first season with Ducati, Rossi was held win-less for the first time in his Grand Prix career. After the 2012 MotoGP opener at Qatar, where he struggled in qualifying and finished 10th in the 22-lap race, Rossi vented his frustration openly to the Italian media.

The comments have led to much speculation on Rossi’s future plans – including one report in the Spanish media that he may try to wriggle out of his Ducati contract during the 2012 season. At the BES race at Monza Rossi, again speaking to the Italian media, denied he would leave Ducati mid-season.

Round 2 of the 2012 MotoGP series will take place in Jerez on April 29th.

[bigdamo]

it is done.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17763547

[culcune]

I guess even "lifestyle" companies follow corporate "rules" but I lost respect for Lamborghini when they got bought up by VW, and now Ducati. Those small motorcycle companies getting scooped up by BMW (i.e. Husaberg and someone else I think) were along the same line. They lose identity, in my opinion. I know that the car magazines, at least the US magazines, gave much praise to the Lamborghini deal when that happened due to the spotty quality issues that Lamborghinis apparently had (funny, my scale model Lambos never had any problems, LOL) before the buyout, but I don't recall Ducati having quality-control issues. They seemed like they were doing fine on their own, even through the global economic recession. I know, I know, VW group, especially Audi, are state of the art and have seemingly unlimited resources, but it does make companies, like Lambo and Ducati, lose some of their identity. At least the owners are headquartered in Europe and not from an emerging market such as India or China as some recent auto company acquisitions show...but it's Ducati we are talking about, not Volvo!

[MJH]

About Audi
The Audi Group delivered 1,302,659 cars of the Audi brand to customers in 2011. In 2011 the Company posted revenue of €44.1 billion and an operating profit of €5.3 billion. Audi produces vehicles in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm (Germany), Gyoer (Hungary), Changchun (China) and Brussels (Belgium). The Audi Q7 is built in Bratislava (Slovakia). In July 2010, CKD production of the Audi Q5 was added to the existing Audi A4 and A6 manufacturing operations in Aurangabad (India). At the Brussels plant, production of the Audi A1 has been running since May 2010, while production of the new A1 Sportback began in 2012. The Audi Q3 has been built in Martorell (Spain) since June 2011. The Company is active in more than 100 markets worldwide. AUDI AG's wholly owned subsidiaries include AUDI HUNGARIA MOTOR Kft., Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. in Sant'Agata Bolognese (Italy), AUDI BRUSSELS S.A./N.V. in Brussels (Belgium) and quattro GmbH in Neckarsulm. Subject to a positive decision by the responsible competition authorities, the Italian sports motorcycle manufacturer Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. will also belong to the Audi Group. Audi currently employs around 64,000 people worldwide, including around 48,000 in Germany. Between 2012 and 2016 the brand with the four rings is planning to invest a total of €13 billion - mainly in new products and the extension of production capacities - in order to sustain the Company's technological lead embodied in its "Vorsprung durch Technik" slogan. Audi is currently expanding its site in Gyoer (Hungary) and will start production in Foshan (China) in late 2013 and in Mexico from 2016.

[MJH]

I would say that they will likely up market the bikes and whore out the brand, making it more exclusive and also in that more “prestigious”. There is huge market, particularly in China, for brand whores and that makes a recognized Italian brand like Ducati valuable.

http://www.lamborghinistore.com/en/v...t-carrier.html

Look at the price of the bag….I would rather have a Vespa.

Funny VW Commercial

[TB-Racing]

Audi CEO Says Willkommen to DucatiMr. Rupert Stadler, CEO of AUDI AG, accompanied by Mr.Thomas Sigi, responsible for AUDI AG Human Resources, visited the Ducati factory in Borgo Panigale , Bologna, Italy today, received by Ducati’s President and CEO, Gabriele Del Torchio and Ducati Management. Mr. Stadler addressed the entire Ducati workforce of approximately 1,000 people with a motivational speech that underlined Audi’s passion for the iconic Italian motorcycle manufacturer.Mr Stadler emphasized the iconic history of Ducati in his remarks and tried to draw a connection between the premium car manufacturer and the Bologna concern even if that connection remains somewhat elusive to many market analysts.“What is true in every romance also applies to two companies – a good start is half the battle,” said Mr. Stadler from a special stage built inside the Ducati factory. “You’ve probably wondered why we were interested in Ducati, a car manufacturer with no apparent ties to Ducati at first glance. But that’s only at first glance. Ducati stands for extraordinary engineering artistry, passion, precision, performance and the sheer joy of living. We’re impressed by these achievements.”After antitrust clearance, Ducati will officially become a part of Audi within days.“There are many joint opportunities with high-performance engines, light-weight manufacturing and the skilled interplay between two strong brands on the global stage. Both companies, each with an eventful history of ‘ups’ and ‘downs’, can now benefit from being part of one big family – the Volkswagen Group. I am very pleased to report that the antitrust authorities approved the deal at the beginning of July and that eliminated the final obstacle en route to the start of our shared future. Ducati will officially be part of the Audi family by next week!”The Audi CEO’s final remarks are undoubtedly what the audience and ducatisti want to hear but are often part of the opening wooing speech of new owners. Only time will tell if the words ring true.“This brings me to an important message that I would like to leave with you today. A message that is certainly uppermost in your minds. Ladies and gentlemen, this message consists of three words and you have my guarantee: Ducati remains Ducati.”http://www.ducatinewstoday.com/2012/...ti/#more-15429