Indian firm Hero to buy Ducati? L O L

[Cambridge K]

LOL - http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/Ne...to-buy-ducati/

There goes DUCATI !

[Falko]

definitely getting into a new segment for them. Hope they don't screw up Ducaji too much.

[slammp]

They are the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world I believe.

[scubasteveRR]

and i've never even hear of them?

[slammp]

Lots more bike riders in other countries as opposed to US. Not saying they'll do a good job or not but they definitely have he funding.

[Falko]

I tend to think that countries that can/will afford Ducatis, already have them. I don't see this joining of the two increase the market saturation. How many multistradas will be cruising the streets of India after the acquisition?

[slammp]

I tend to think that countries that can/will afford Ducatis, already have them. I don't see this joining of the two increase the market saturation. How many multistradas will be cruising the streets of India after the acquisition?

Very few - you are absolutely right on that account. Its more a function of needing funds to continue to promote the image. I would be surprised if Hero stepped in and really impacted anything that the customer see's - its really just an investment and a broadening of the market that Hero is in. That said, I would not be surprised if this acquisition went through to begin to see the Hero name advertised prominently wherever they can - Hero Honda was huge outside of the US.

[shashankmittal]

I think it would benefit both Hero and Ducati. Hero needs the technology and Ducati needs the money.

I don't think Hero would move the manufacturing to India. Ducati in essence is an Italian bike and would remain that way, diluting the brand image would hurt Ducati tremendously and Hero (or any other overseas buyer) would be too foolish to do that. When Tata Motors bought Jaguar and Land Rover, similar speculations were made, but now JLR has posted record profit. Not to mention that they both are British marquee and are manufactured in UK (not in India).

Just so everyone knows, Bajaj Auto (Hero's biggest competitor in India) owns 40% stake in KTM, so Hero is very aggressively looking at an overseas acquisition and Ducati could be a great fit for them.

and i've never even hear of them?

...because we live in US. Hero is the biggest motorcycle manufacturer in the world based on number of units produced and most of those bikes are for domestic market (125cc to 250cc), in addition to exporting to developing markets (like Africa, south east Asia and Latin America). They manufacture more than 6 million units each year!

[Kazinator]

baka laka daka

[njsrikar]

oh well ....Hero is/was nothing without Honda. All those 6 million units got sold only because those motorcycles had Honda engines in them. Hero's prowess in India was only its marketing and sales arm. Now that Honda Motorcycles(HMIL) has been increasingly active in the Indian market ( I think they are no more in partnership with Hero), I am afraid Hero is gonna die a slow death!

[njsrikar]

and ...as others posted, this is just going to be a financial deal. I do not think its going to be anything more than that (like Tata Motors + JR-LR)

[Garandman]

Hero has teamed up with Erik Buell as well.

When you have $650 million in the bank, doors open.....Supposedly the reason Hero Honda was disbanded (with Hero buying Honda's stock) was that they were not allowed to export and could only use Honda-approved vendors. In turn, Hero is probably looking over their shoulder at several Chinese manufacturers who are also looking to start exporting.

Their best selling model is the Splendor, a 98cc bike they sell one million of a year. In their personal transportation market, the necessary technology is not difficult.

I agree they'll mostly leave Ducati alone while providing capital for growth. Understand the stated reason for Ducati selling out was that they needed more capital to grow. They were "Too big to be small and too small to be big."

[Cambridge K]

Yes - true Dana - I forgot to add tat as well.

[The Snowman]

So, following the stereotypes if/when Hero takes over:

* No Ducati will be over 300CC
* The world will be overpopulated by Ducatis

[njsrikar]

[DuncanMoto]

So, following the stereotypes if/when Hero takes over:

* No Ducati will be over 300CC
* The world will be overpopulated by Ducatis

Maybe...... But at least they'll have a 24 hour 1-800 hotline for troubleshooting your Ducati on your own.

[The Snowman]

Maybe...... But at least they'll have a 24 hour 1-800 hotline for troubleshooting your Ducati on your own.

And the support line will have people with Italian names and Indian accents.

[Cambridge K]

Now Audi is it's eyes on Ducati - http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/Ne...medium=twitter

[TheIglu]

Oh good. Perhaps I should get into the aftermarket coil pack business.

[njsrikar]

Now Audi is it's eyes on Ducati - http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/Ne...medium=twitter

DONE!

[shashankmittal]

DONE!

Here is the press release: http://www.ducati.com/cms-web/upl/Au...ti_english.pdf

[jwm2k3]

So awesome that VW/Audi bought Ducati!! Im an 'Audi guy' and now maybe i have to trade in the MV for a Duc...