OzVMX Forum
Clubroom => General Discussion => Topic started by: EML on April 24, 2012, 03:59:52 pm
-
news from motorcycle site that Audi has bought Ducati for 1.3billion-not sure if they mean USD or Europesos. That's alot of dollars for a m/c co. I guess someone sees a future in two wheelers.
Either that or Duke has some special eleccy techy that they want bad.
-
Well BMW bought out Husqvarna.
-
Yeah but wasn't that BMW Motorad>>?
-
news from motorcycle site that Audi has bought Ducati for 1.3billion-not sure if they mean USD or Europesos. That's alot of dollars for a m/c co. I guess someone sees a future in two wheelers.
Either that or Duke has some special eleccy techy that they want bad.
Ferdinand Piech Chairman of VW/Audi, grandson of Ferdinand Porsche and not exactly cash poor at the moment given he has the largest car company by profit in the world, bought Ducati because to quote " he owns one and likes red things"
I mean what better present could a Ducati fan like Herr Piech get himself. he liked them so much he bought the company. Anyways this is not the first time Ferdinand has toyed with the idea, the Italian Government blocked him the first time but this time they were just happy that someone was taking over the timeshare payments on Valentino Rossi.
Reading as to, expected synergies that were used to justify the purchase, none really Audi likes the Superquatro head but that is about it...... not much a small bike maker could teach a major car maker, who spends more on R&D than Ducatis total revenues about electronics.
-
Audi/Ducati is a good fit. Certainly better than the Venture Capitalists that were the previous owners. Ducati is making more money than ever and will only benefit from Audi's tech input.
I certainly don't think that Audi were buying any special technology [it will more likely flow the other way]. It is just sound commercial thinking and probably the best thing to ever happen to Ducati and probably the most stable owner the brand has ever had.
Maybe the deal was swung to allow Rossi to go Sportscar racing now that he is too old for Ferrari and F1... :D
-
Not a good sign when someone with way too much money buys something as a plaything "because he likes red things" When this has happened in the past it has all ended in tears.
-
Not a good sign when someone with way too much money buys something as a plaything "because he likes red things" When this has happened in the past it has all ended in tears.
Yes, that's been true many times in the past... but Ferdinand is no fool. It wouldn't be right to judge him by a throw away line.
-
Dont forget VW owns part of Suzuki aswell......maybe lots of yellow Dukes soon.
-
or yellow 74 ducatti 450's
-
Maybe they'ill bring back those red/yellow tiger stripped jalopies from the late 80's/early90's....... ::)
-
Well BMW bought out Husqvarna.
And that's been a backward step for Husky.. The current TE449 & 511 with the BMW engine are so un-competitive that the factory and the Aussie team only race kitted TE250's
-
And that's been a backward step for Husky.. The current TE449 & 511 with the BMW engine are so un-competitive that the factory and the Aussie team only race kitted TE250's
[/quote]
I think the Kymco engined 450 is a case of the engineers being too smart for their own good, they tried to do something different that didn't work..... interesting David Knights comments on this subject, he left BMW 1/2 way through the season and Juha ended up on bikes where they moved the swingarm back.