Report: Ducati Sale Faces New Internal Opposition

The latest chapter in the ongoing, unofficial Ducati sale saga, has Volkswagen looking like it might hold on to the Italian motorcycle manufacturer after all.

The story started a few months ago when VW reportedly decided to sell the non-core brand in an effort to simplify its holdings and bring in a little cash. Although Ducati is still profitable, its lack of engineering relevance to the rest of the VW empire made it relatively easy to part with.

Now, though, it seems that there’s resistance at VW to the sale. With the company performing better than it was expected to since the dieselgate scandal, the sale has become less essential. Meanwhile, VW’s labor unions have always opposed the sale of assets.

Finally, VW expects a lot for Ducati, which as mentioned above is still profitable. Despite that, the manufacturer is so unique that it’s hard for even other motorcycle manufacturers to derive a lot of engineering benefit from it, so many bids have reportedly been too low for VW’s tastes.

Now, it seems that there’s doubt within the Porsche and Piech families as to whether or not the motorcycle maker should be sold, according to unnamed sources who spoke to Bloomberg. Unfortunately, the latest round of doubt about the sale might be working against VW.

Long reputed to be too big to manage, the many competing factions within the company are helping to convince some analysts that the complexity hasn’t been reduced since the recent changes in management.

All of this comes as VW is said to have winnowed down the list of potential buyers to just five. Whatever the case, the Ducati’s fate looks set to be settled soon.

[source: Bloomberg]

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