Ducati Motor Holdings Product Chief Claudio Domenicali set the internet on fire last week when he mentioned that the famous Italian brand was working on a maxi-scooter offering. But before Ducatisti can begin sharpening their pitchforks, Ducati CEO Gabriele Del Torchio has put the kibosh on the idea, stating that Ducati is “concentrating on the next project for the sports market…We have no maxi-scooter in mind.”
The “sport market” project del Torchio refers to is of course the 2012 Ducati Superbike, which our sources have confirmed will be a quantum leap from the current generation 1198 Superbike, and more importantly will be Ducati’s anchor as it dives deeper into non-core segments.
As for the status on the Ducati maxi-scooter rumor, del Torchio’s comments really only raises more speculation on the issue. The Italian company pulled a similar move when news of a Ducati power cruiser leaked from the Bologna factory. Denying that Ducati was seriously considering taking a stab at the Harley-Davidson crowd, Ducati VP of Marketing Diego Sgorbati nixed the idea of the Diavel back in July 2009…and we of course all know how that turned out.
With Ducati’s new stated goal of hitting 60,000 units per year worldwide (the Italian company pumps out roughly 30,000 bikes currently), the Italian company is going to need to expand it’s product line-up, expand into new markets, or both of these things in order to hit its target figure. A Ducati maxi-scooter could well help achieve that goal, but the question is how much backlash would the brand encounter?
Source: MotoBlog.it
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