Italian newspaper Correrie di Bologna is reporting that the Volkswagen Group has officially made an offer to buy Ducati, putting €750 million on the table.
The current Ducati owner, Investindustrial which owns a 70 percent majority share, wanted €832 million for Ducati Motor Holdings, but there is a strong chance a deal will be negotiated that both parties are happy with.
Volkswagen wants to buy, and Ducati wants to sell.
With Ducati under the Volkswagen Group umbrella, which also owns Lamborghini, Audi, Skoda and several other car brands, the Italian motorcycle maker would be in a very strong position if VW decided to pump more cash into the company.
An increase in research and development dollars would certainly help Ducati develop smaller capacity bikes, and a cash injection for its MotoGP campaign wouldn't hurt either (something it sorely needs if the recent lap times at Jerez were anything to go by).
Another permutation of the deal could be Volkswagen or perhaps Audi branded motorcycles or trikes. In 2006 the company revealed the VW GX3 reverse trike (pictured).
However if this deal does get the green light there's also the possibility that Volkswagen's bean counters will take to the company with a cleaver, paring back parts of the company. No doubt the current Ducatista will be watching this acquisition very closely.
Expect an answer from Ducati in the next fortnight, possibly earlier.
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