From Motosprint.
In the magazine Ducati's Managing Director Claudio Domenicali mentions Ducati's goal is to "churn out 60,000 bikes a year" in the future. To do so, he says, new plants will be required.
He stated that Ducati will build factories in Brazil and Thailand in the future, and will manufacture region-specific models there. Thailand is not a hotbed of 1198 sales, assuredly, and in the interview Domenicali did not deny that one machine that DMC has in "the sauce pan" is a sport scooter.
Now I imagine they need volume for sales in Brazil and Thailand and lower price point vehicles to justify such an investment.
Ducati Japan a subsidiary / JV sells Malaguti branded Ducati scooters. Every year they do between 200 to 600 pieces of the Ducati replica bikes and has always been the main license holder for the units. Basically Malaguti pays Ducati a licensing fee, then Ducati buys them back, and sells them in certain markets. When Malaguti USA stopped importing them we saw some of the Ducati sponsored riders using everything from Chinese scooters to Aprilias in the pit since there weren't many options left, but if you go to Ducati World Week in Italy you'll easily see 50 to 60 Ducati F-12 and F-15 official bikes running around.
Why don't they buy Malaguti like Texas Pacific Group suggested back in 2003? or is it easier for them just to sell a Chinese designed scooter in Thailand with the Ducati logo on it? Local officials in Bologna are scrambling to find Malaguti a partner.
Maybe its time Claudio Domenicali and Antonino Malaguti met and talked about working at a higher level?
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