It’s high summer, 2022, and you know what that means? That’s right, it’s almost Ducati World Première time! Although Ducati and EICMA have both announced that Ducati plans to make an in-person appearance at EICMA 2022 this year, the team from Borgo Panigale has also opted to continue its popular virtual premiere series for its 2023 models.
A total of seven new episodes have been announced, starting on September 2, 2022 and going through November 7. That’s three months of premieres, ending the day before EICMA 2022 starts on November 8 in Milan.
While Ducati says that the final episode will be “when all Ducati enthusiasts can finally see the model unveiled as a preview to participants in World Ducati Week 2022,” it’s otherwise keeping fairly quiet about what’s behind the curtain. We know that a new Scrambler made an appearance at WDW, about which representatives from some European publications have already talked (although they've so far honored their obligations not to share photos).
Previously, the titles of each World Première episode have sometimes given crucial clues as to what we can expect. As well, the progression tends to run from the least earth-shattering of the new models to the most exciting, sort of like bands in a concert lineup. However, this year’s episode titles seem vaguer than usual. Have a look for yourself:
- September 2, 2022: Episode 1—The Unexpected
- September 15, 2022: Episode 2—Ready for More?
- September 29, 2022: Episode 3—Unlock Earth
- October 7, 2022: Episode 4—This is Racing
- October 20, 2022: Episode 5—Push Forward
- October 28, 2022: Episode 6—Dare to be Bold
- November 7, 2022: Episode 7—Next Gen Freedom
A couple of the titles seem slightly suggestive of certain things, but they’re vague enough that I wouldn’t necessarily bet that my guesses are correct. “Unlock Earth” feels like it’s probably a Multistrada update of some kind, while “This is Racing” is obviously a Panigale.
Is “Next Gen Freedom” hinting at a road-legal electric bike, though? It seems a bit early for that, the way Ducati has previously been talking about its future electric bike plans. While the title alone could indicate Ducati’s continued development of non-motorcycle e-mobility solutions (think e-bikes and e-scooters), its placement as Episode 7—the headliner, if you will—makes that niche seem unlikely.
That is, unless Ducati World Première is a leadup to the revelation of something even bigger at EICMA, to mark Ducati’s return to the event. What do you think? Any guesses about what Bolognese delights hide behind these episode titles? Do you think something even bigger may be coming at EICMA? Why or why not?
