Ducati/Piaggio merger in the works?
03-14-10, 06:34 AM
#1
Lexus Test Driver
Thread Starter
Ducati/Piaggio merger in the works?
Could it be true? The rumormill is running overtime with reports of a potential merger between a pair of our favorite two-wheeled giants: Ducati and Piaggio.
Piaggio has no comment on the matter, refusing to either confirm or deny the supposed Ducati deal. Still, we can't help but run through the what-ifs, assuming there's a shred of truth to this. Perhaps we'll finally see some stability in the U.S. surrounding the many great brands under Piaggio's roof.
Could Piaggio's broad scope of product (currently offered throughout the Vespa, Moto Guzzi and Aprilia lines), coupled with the stable dealer network Ducati has built, be the recipe for a successful challenge to rivals from Japan and beyond? Stay tuned for more updates as they become available.
Piaggio has no comment on the matter, refusing to either confirm or deny the supposed Ducati deal. Still, we can't help but run through the what-ifs, assuming there's a shred of truth to this. Perhaps we'll finally see some stability in the U.S. surrounding the many great brands under Piaggio's roof.
Could Piaggio's broad scope of product (currently offered throughout the Vespa, Moto Guzzi and Aprilia lines), coupled with the stable dealer network Ducati has built, be the recipe for a successful challenge to rivals from Japan and beyond? Stay tuned for more updates as they become available.
03-14-10, 10:47 PM
#4
Lexus Fanatic
so a motorcycle company whose bikes we rarely see is being purchased by a company I have never heard of...........whatever. ( but I will admit I know nothing about bikes)
03-14-10, 11:13 PM
#5
Piaggio is like the Volkswagen of motorcycles: they own a lot.
Piaggio owns (tada!) Piaggio (including Scarabeo -- both of which do scooters), Vespa (classic Italian retro-scooter), Aprilia (the second biggest Italian racing bike, second to Ducati), and Moto Guzzi (retro and modern bikes with signature lateral V-twin configuration). The also own Gilera and Derbi, which are two motorcycle+scooter companies not found in the U.S.
For Piaggio to acquire Ducati is like Volkswagen acquiring Lamborghini: they get a thoroughbred. And if Piaggio is lucky, Ducati racing engineering and technology trickles to the other brands (mostly Aprilia and Moto Guzzi). Have you heard of a Lambo engine in an Audi?
Aprilia has recently been "copying" the Ducati formula: give the consumer a breath and depth of motorcycles. Aprilia (like Ducati) now offers a race bike (1198 vs RSV4), a naked (Tuono vs Streetfighter), a sport tourer (Shiver vs Multistrada), and a sport enduro (Dorsoduro vs Hypermotard). But Aprilia does not have the sheer engineering to match the power and handling of a Ducati, so a merger may be beneficial for Piaggio.
How will Ducati benefit from it? Theoretically, a merger with Piaggio opens a lot of markets for the relatively limited production Ducati bikes (to give you an idea, Ducati sells about 50,000 bikes a year worldwide. Honda motorcycles sell 10 million a year!!!).
However, the problem is with Piaggio itself. Like what I8ABMR is saying, it's "a company I have never heard of." Piaggio is in a marketing slump that doesn't do a good job selling in the U.S. and other major markets. They make good bikes, but no one would buy a $15k-$25k motorcycle without the prestige of Ducati or BMW or such. Ducati and BMW can justify a price premium, but you can't sell a Piaggio or Aprilia at cost (I've seen businesses go broke trying...).
Ultimately, it won't happen. How do I know? This rumor has been out for the past three years.
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