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| Originally Posted by Martin Ducati Glasgow I hear this question all the time - there are a few reason but the for the main part: -
Firstly, Ducati are not the same size as any of the competitors that are most mentioned here, they are a "niche" market.
People think they are of similar size because of the strength of the brand and the success in racing but the truth is very much otherwise.
I mean how could you compare Ducati to say Honda or Yamaha?
Honda build tractors, generators, cars, motorbikes and much, much, much, much more.
Yamaha are similar in that they have their finger in many pies such as musical instruments and so on.
Kawasaki have significant roots in heavy engineering and as an example are experts in aircraft undercarriges.
Suzuki fall into the same category, cars etc.
BMW have a hugely successful car industry behind them.
To put it in perspective, Ducati build in the region of 30- 40,000 bikes a year - that's it!!
That is roughly just 2 - 3 DAYS of production for Honda on a global scale!!! - just allow that to sink in!!!!
The more you sell the cheaper it becomes to make them and prices can drop!
When Ducati are pleased about beating companies of that sheer magnitude in racing, it's because a tiny company (in comparison) such as theirs should never have a hope in hell of doing so, the resources they have are so much less for research and development - it's just their designers and engineers are superb and the design concept is totally different and arguably a better package.
Secondly, it is more expensive to actually build a twin, two water jackets, two seperate cylinders and so on (this is one reason why Aprilia and Honda twins are also more expensive generally)
LastlyThe brand name and image, not every brand can hold up to the success Ducati can!! Especially considering their comparitive size. They really are the underdog!!
Roll that lot together with the costs of racing, investing in new manufacturing techniques and the import taxes our government slap on etc, etc and the price of the bikes comes out the way it is!!
Mart |
Well put Mart. Despite this however the Americam market has cut it's prices significantly this year compared to what they were paying for the 999 range last year, which makes me think there is still room for Ducati UK to do the same were it possible (even a small amount as a gesture) but then pigs might fly.