Speculative reports suggesting that Volkswagen may be about to sell Ducati are continuing to gather momentum as the German auto giant confirms it is ‘undergoing a profound transformation.’ 

Volkswagen executives are being advised to offload parts of the Group's business – potentially including Ducati – as the marque looks to cut costs and raise capital amidst changing market conditions. 

US publication RideApart subsequently approached the Wolfsburg-headquartered firm for comment, receiving a lengthy statement explaining the challenges facing the Group along with, most notably, no outright denial that Ducati could be up for sale in the near future. 

Instead, VW said it would not comment on ‘internal, confidential documents’ before going on to explain that ‘a profound transformation’ is in the works as it deals with rising costs, global competition, tariffs and slowing markets. 

Subsequent reporting by MCNews suggests that, in Borgo Panigale at least, there are no sales talks taking place, but Ducati boss Claudio Domenicali did not go as far as ruling out a transfer of ownership full stop, pointing out that the possibility does remain on the table should the firm’s parent company see the need. 

For us, that inevitably raises the question – not necessarily whether Ducati will be sold, or even to whom – but whether the Bologna brand’s newfound (and growing) investment in the off-road space would be likely to survive new governance? 

The obvious point of reference is KTM’s acquisition by Indian manufacturer Bajaj late last year (albeit under very different circumstances to the Ducati situation). The buy-out raised all the same initial red flags and while there was some fallout, including sweeping staffing cuts and the demise of then Hard Enduro World Championship organiser WESS Promotions, the Ready to Race marque came out the other side without any dramatic change in direction – and with no less focus on maintaining its off-road roots. 

Ducati obviously do not have such an enduro-centric legacy behind them. Dirt bikes and racing off-tarmac make up a tiny fraction of the company’s financial model and brand identity. The Desmo450 EDS may now be out in the wild, with the Desmo250 EDS confirmed to follow, and the factory is confirmed as an official partner of this year's EnduroGP of Wales, but even so, the off-road landscape remains a relatively new venture for the Italian manufacturer. 

The cost of fielding factory teams in EnduroGP, the ISDE and beyond could well be viewed as an unnecessary expense by a prospective buyer, hence any new owner looking to trim the fat may adopt a ‘last in, first out’ approach to Ducati’s enduro aspirations. 

Reality check 

That said, there are equally good reasons to believe Ducati's off-road push should and indeed would survive any change in ownership. While the company sinks tens of millions of euros annually into racing – most of it into MotoGP and WorldSBK – the development of the Desmo450 and forthcoming Desmo250 platform will also have required a significant financial commitment. Despite that investment, and a slight dip in sales during 2025, Ducati remains comfortably in the black, meaning there would be little incentive for a prospective buyer to fundamentally alter the company's current strategy. 

The brand turned over a healthy €925 million in 2025 alongside an operating profit of €52 million. That's down marginally on previous levels, including 2022, 2023 and 2024, when annual revenue exceeded €1 billion, but the current figures are hardly to be sniffed at. 

Arguably, the firm’s sporting pedigree is one of the reasons it commands such a high valuation in the first place, with its growing investment in enduro and motocross forming part of that wider picture. Walking away from those programmes would risk diminishing one of the manufacturer's biggest commercial assets. 

That doesn't mean investment would remain untouched. New ownership would almost certainly review every area of expenditure, but even if Ducati does change hands in the near future, there doesn’t look to be much reason to worry about any dramatic changes in direction.