After saving it, Volkswagen could sell Ducati for a hefty sum just as the Italian brand celebrates its 100th anniversary

What was still just a hypothesis a few months ago has now taken on a whole new dimension. Last June, we discussed the possibility that the Volkswagen Group to divest itself of Lamborghini and Ducati in order to finance its extensive restructuring. This time, the name of Ducati is officially mentioned in the extensive portfolio review conducted by the German giant. And the Bologna-based motorcycle manufacturer could be worth a hefty sum.

Ducati has been owned by Audi—and thus by the Volkswagen Group—since 2012. At the time, Ferdinand Piëch was pushing the German group to make a series of high-profile acquisitions. Nearly fifteen years later, the strategy has changed radically: Volkswagen is now seeking to streamline its massive organization and free up capital.

Ducati is indeed one of the assets under review

The topic is no longer being fueled solely by analysts. Gernot Döllner, the head of Audi, confirmed that Ducati is part of the evaluation process currently underway within the group, while noting that «nothing has been decided.» The scale of the shake-up gives a sense of the situation. Of the approximately 2,000 entities and investments held by Volkswagen, some 600 are reportedly currently under scrutiny. The group recently announced plans to divest or restructure about one-third of its non-strategic businesses in order to focus its resources on those that make a clear contribution to its core business.

Ducati therefore finds itself in a rather paradoxical situation. Volkswagen helped consolidate and grow the Italian brand for fourteen years, but may now decide that a motorcycle manufacturer—no matter how prestigious—is no longer essential to its strategy.

Ducati could be worth 1.25 billion euros… or even much more

According to Bloomberg, Ducati could now be valued at around 1.25 billion euros. This is a significant sum for a company that delivered 50,895 motorcycles in 2025. The brand generated 925 million euros in revenue and 52 million euros in operating income, representing a margin of 5.6% in Q3. These results were down, amid a challenging environment marked by a global market slowdown, tariffs, and unfavorable exchange rate movements.

But the theoretical value calculated by analysts could be far from the price a buyer would be willing to pay. According to information reported by Zonebourse, the Italian fund PatrItalia reportedly submitted an offer on June 25 for… 2.5 billion euros to acquire 100 % of Ducati Motor Holding. That is twice the valuation put forward by Bloomberg. However, Volkswagen has reportedly not entered into any negotiations, and no formal sale process is currently underway.

Italy doesn't want to lose Ducati

Any potential sale is inevitably being closely monitored in Rome. Italian Minister of Enterprise Adolfo Urso met with Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali and intends to use the government’s available resources to preserve the company’s headquarters, jobs, and Italian identity.

The symbolism would be all the more powerful given that Ducati is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Founded in Bologna in 1926, the brand could thus undergo another major change in ownership just as it celebrates its centennial.

This wouldn’t be Volkswagen’s first attempt, by the way. In 2017, following the Dieselgate scandal, the company had already considered selling Ducati for about 1.5 billion euros. The deal was ultimately scrapped, largely due to opposition from German employee representatives. Nine years later, Volkswagen must finance a massive restructuring, cut costs, and contend with increasingly fierce competition from China. Audi insists, however, that no change in ownership is planned for the next two or three years.

So Ducati isn’t for sale just yet. But for the first time in a long while, its future within the Volkswagen Group seems truly up in the air. And if an offer of 2.5 billion euros does indeed exist, the German automaker might have some good reasons to take a very close look at the check.