Under the high sounding name of operation ‘Project Eagle’ could lie the acquisition of Ducati by Volkswagen Group’s largest brands, Audi according to UK publication, Car Magazine.
Since Ducati has been on the market, several groups have been tied to the acquisition of the Italian manufacturer, BMW, Mercedes Benz AMG, India’s Mahindra, and most recently Hero MotoCorp, but Ferdinand Piech head of Volkswagen who has had his eyes on Ducati since 2008, not only has his feelers out, but is actually one step ahead and the group is currently carrying out due diligence – a sure sign of seriousness – and the German car company reportedly has until April to decide, before other buyers enter the picture.
Apparently Audi’s intention is to pay something between €50 to €100 million and take over Ducati’s debts (about 1.
7 times its earnings before interest, depreciation and amortisation) which is far cry from the previous €832 million that was bandied about when the first news of the sale came out.
The VW Group is made up of ten brands from seven European countries: Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT, ŠKODA, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Scania and MAN and adding a much desired iconic motorcycle brand like Ducati would be another feather in the cap of the automotive giant.