After much buzz and fanfare regarding the future of Volkswagen, which in-turn called into question the future of Ducati, today we finally get a glimpse into how VW is going to soldier forth from the fallout of its “Dieselgate” scandal.
Instead of announcing how the company was going to restructure itself, and review its current business holdings and ventures, as was reportedly widely in financial circles, instead today saw Volkswagen strongly staking its future in electric and autonomous cars.
As the Wall Street Journal reported, this announcement failed to impress analysts investors; but for Ducatisti, some good news does emerge, as Ducati certainly won’t be leaving its home in the Volkswagen Group.
To drive that point further, a Ducati representative confirmed and conveyed to Asphalt & Rubber the words of Audi Chairman Rupert Stadler, who said emphatically that “Ducati is NOT FOR SALE” which is as straight and to the point as you can get.
Stadler told Britain’s MCN very much the same line, which reiterates a statement that he made during an earnings press conference back in March of this year, saying that “those brands [Ducati & Lamborghini] belong to Audi and, together with us, have an excellent future.”
Needless to say, Volkswagen’s announcement today has surprised many in both the two and four-wheeled realms, but maybe it shouldn’t have.
The German brand’s renewed commitment electric and autonomous cars reads more like a smoke signal than a beacon of strength, as those two segments and technologies are surely now part of the lexicon in every automotive boardroom at this time.
This makes Volkswagen’s “new” business plan read more like a distraction from the financial issues at hand, with a clever nod to green technologies as some sort of sign of attrition for its wrong-doings to the environment.
We’ll let our four-wheeled colleagues dissect those words and plans, because for now in the two-wheeled realm, everything is status quo.
Source: Volkswagen Group
Comments