Ducati Motorcycles Could Be Up For Sale

Sami Haj-Assaad
by Sami Haj-Assaad
Ducati, the famous Italian motorcycle brand could be up for sale. There seems to be significant interest in the motorcycle maker from both American and European buyers.

Investindustrial SpA, the Milan-based private-equity firm that owns Ducati, seems to be looking for an IPO (initial public offering), or to sell it entirely. The sale could fetch about $1.3 billion.

Deutsche Bank AG and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. would manage Ducati’s IPO, and could file as soon as June.

Although no one has publicly stated their interest in buying Ducati, there are some beliefs that Volkswagen, or BMW would be a perfect fit to make the purchase.

Mercedes-Benz/Daimler’s performance group AMG has had partnerships with Ducati before, so it’ll be interesting to see if that will play a part in the sale. A year ago Daimler was rumored to take over Ducati.

Additionally, Bloomberg speculates that American company Harley Davidson could potentially fit the bill.

At this point all we can do is speculate, check back for more information as the situation develops.

[Source: Bloomberg]

Sami Haj-Assaad
Sami Haj-Assaad

Sami has an unquenchable thirst for car knowledge and has been at AutoGuide for the past six years. He has a degree in journalism and media studies from the University of Guelph-Humber in Toronto and has won multiple journalism awards from the Automotive Journalist Association of Canada. Sami is also on the jury for the World Car Awards.

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  • Taylorparker Taylorparker on Jun 18, 2012

    I love motorcycles, and I would be totally down with actually owning one. In my personal opinion, I think that BMW would be a perfect fit to buy into Ducati, simply because of the classiness and sharp reputation for BMW cars. Although Mercedes-Benz are excellent and very beautiful cars, BMW cars has something about them that say beauty and class all at the same time, and I think that Ducati's say that all at the same time as well.

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