Ducati Sold to Audi for €860m

[antonye]

According to Reuters news agency, Ducati has been sold to Audi for €860m.
An announcement will be made in the morning.

http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-news-industry/sold-to-the-man-in-the-audi-t-shirt/20474.html

What do we think? Good? Bad? Indifferent?

[paynep]

Vursprung durch Desmodronik ?

[skidlids]

Could be good, maybe they would like to see there new aquisition running at the front of Moto GP
Then again it could be bad on that front as they may decide they don't need to be in Moto GP.
As most VAG racing is production based from what I've seen with development in Endurance or rallying, not F1

[NBs996]

Hope Ducati don't adopt the VAG customer service skills, else I may be deserting the brand!

[Cranker V2]

W5 diesel panigale anyone?

[MJS]

Audi seem to have done right by Lamborghini....

[Stealth]

Seeing as how my wife's Golf Diesel threw a con rod just one month out of Warranty (full dealer service history etc.,) and the manufacturer showed little interest in sorting, it could signal a return to an older style of quality and customer relations?

[Steve E]

It's got to be good. Now they have Honda levels of resource for their MotoGP efforts. Hopefully deep VAG pockets might = wins.

[Ray]

Thats the curent tie up with AMG down the drain then.

VAG want to do battle with BMW on all fronts so that means they need some two wheel product.

VAG have done OK with Lamborghini.

Not sure the finances of VAG are as sound as they might be though.

An Italian Grman combo doesn't always end well:)

Ray.

[Cobbett]

It's got to be good. Now they have Honda levels of resource for their MotoGP efforts.

Though Honda's just got deeper...

http://moto-racing.speedtv.com/article/motogp-aon-corporation-teams-up-with-hrc/

[antonye]

Though Honda's just got deeper...

http://moto-racing.speedtv.com/article/motogp-aon-corporation-teams-up-with-hrc/

That's interesting; mainly because YPF (which is owned by Repsol) has just been nationalised by the Argentinian government, which may well put into doubt any future sponsorship Honda have with Repsol as they've just lost a big chunk of assets.

[keith_mann1959]

VAG finances not in good shape , really.

They generate > 8 billion pounds a year in cash. Not turnover , but pure bottom line readies.

They have 17 billion on deposit and cant find enough things to spend it on