Volkswagen's financial situation isn't great, as the German automotive giant has faced increased hurdles around the world that have deeply affected its business. Between China not buying as many cars as it once did and the tariffs placed upon it in the United States, as well as the current state of the economy, its ledger markings have fallen from grace.
As such, the company has begun laying off over 150,000 workers, closing and selling factories, and selling off brands. And those brand sell-offs, along with quotes made by the company's executive leadership to outlets such as The Financial Times and Bloomberg, have led to further speculation on its other assets. One of which is Ducati, owned tangentially by Audi, which is itself owned by Volkswagen, and has come under increased scrutiny in recent months.
Why? Because Audi and VW executives keep telling the media basically that everything is on the table with regard to righting Volkswagen's financials, including selling off Ducati. The most recent assertion of that fact comes from Audi's own CEO, Gernot Döllner, who told Bloomberg that very thing in no uncertain terms. And Ducati's own CEO Claudio Domenicali acknowledged it, too.
"Within the Volkswagen Group, we are committed to a disciplined, responsible portfolio management," Döllner told Bloomberg, adding, "It’s part of the evaluation process that we’ll also talk about Ducati, but nothing has been decided." Döllner's comments come after months of similar statements by VW and Audi brass, all leading to speculation that there's serious intent by Volkswagen to sell off Ducati, as when there's wild speculation, those rumors tend to get squashed quickly and with vigor.
Yet, Volkswagen's executives aren't doing that. Instead, they're replying that they're taking a look at all avenues and possibilities, with the end goal being a more streamlined company.
As for Ducati's response, the company's CEO, Claudio Domenicali, stated, "We are aware of the shareholder's plan to reassess its holdings. Ducati is one of these holdings, but there has been no final decision on Ducati yet: it is one of the evaluations ongoing." But Domenicali has remained steadfast in his belief that Ducati can stand without Volkswagen's parentage, and its own ledger looks to support that belief, too. And an evaluation isn't up for sale right now, it just means that Ducati is being scrutinized by Volkswagen's bean counters and whether it still makes sense in the overall group. The same goes with Lamborghini, according to current rumors.
Right now, however, Audi's CEO confirmed that Ducati is being looked at, and that's backed up by Ducati's own CEO. Whether it goes past this point is still up in the air.
