Audi buying Ducati

The fact that Ducati is worth roughly what Instagram is, is a bit shocking to me.

 

AWD Monsters coming shortly....seriously I recall reading somewhere that a when asked how they liked being owned by the Americans a Ducati employee said "Its a lot better than being owned by the Germans"....

 

Yes the Germans can screw up a company big time. BMW bought Husqvarna and now the motors are made in Taiwan for the 4 stroke range. I guess the Audi guys will make the Ducati motors in China.

 

Have they done a poor job with Lamborghini?

 

This can be good. If they leave Ducati alone except for QC and scaling and investment, this should be a good thing. If they decide to take over design not so much. Ducati may benefit from some Audi engineers though and I think Valentino would agree.

When Ford bought Aston Martin, I was very concerned, but it turned out to be a good thing for AM. VW owning Audi and Bentley is also good, I think, for those makers. So this can be good, but plese do leave the "brand" alone. Own it, help it, but don't rebrand it.

 

per my italian friends-quality wise, yes....styling wise, not so much....

 

VW did a pretty good job with Lambo...

Kai

 

I know the purists will hate me but this is a GREAT thing, IMO, especially if it goes the way Audi->Lambo did.

Would anyone really make the case that Lambos today are worse than during the pre-Audi days?

 

All of the members of VAG seem to complement the other to each of their respective benefit. All in all, a marriage made in auto heaven

 

The current Ducati ownership has handled the plastic tank debacle so well. Audi can't do worse.

 

Audi does a crappy job with Audi. I think the Lambos under Audi are junk just like thier other cars.

 

Volvo under the Chinese and Jaguar-Land Rover under Indian rule is a decent example of foreign investment done right, as long as the brand keeps it`s core values and identity.

Although I would have preferred Ducati to remain Italian, I don`t see how Audi will dilute it, not even ecomparable to the whole Lambo fiasco.

Sure Audi helped Lambo quality trememdously, but the R8/Gallardo proposition didn`t help Lambos overall image.

 

How many modern Audis have you driven and/or owned? After decades of M car daily drivers, in early 2010, I was looking for a 4 seat convertible to use as my daily driver. After much research and test driving convertibles from Mercedes, Infiniti, Lexus, BMW, Maserati, Jaguar and Audi, I ordered a 2010 Audi S5 Cabriolet. While I had assumed I would have preferred the M3, with its Walter de Silva design, the S5 is a such beautiful car I could not ignore. The S5 handles well, has great performance with its supercharged V6 and has the best fit and finish of all the others I looked at, by a large margin. And, after ~40,000 miles, the only problem I have had are a couple of flat tires. No breakdowns, maintenance issues, squeaks, rattles or other nuisance issues. The Audi interior quality make the others look like a Kia; only the Maserati came close. I am currently considering replacing it with a 2013 RS5 once they become available to order in the USA. But, as part of my due-deligence, I do plan to test drive a 2013 C63 AMG and a new 2013 M3 w/V6 turbo once they are out before making my final decision on the RS5.

 

You are certainly entitled to your opinions; but some solid evidence &/or ownership experience would be more credible.....otherwise.....

 

I have owned 2 A6's and an A4 complete **** cars. I have had Renaults that were better put together. Go on the Audi forums lots of horror stories about how sucky Audi/VW are. My friends Kia's and Chevy's held up better.

 

I would have to disagree with you on your first sentence:
We have not seen yet the Chinese hand in Volvo and the Indian hand in Land Rover / Jaguar.
They are still selling the cars designed and produced under the respective previous administrations, so the Jury is still out on those.

I am with you on the other two sentences though.

 

what years? new or used?

 

IMHO, the Walter de Silva designed A4, S4, A5, S5 line of cars are some of the most beautiful cars currently on the market, regardless of the price.