Eicher Motors On The Verge Of Acquiring Ducati

Earlier, we had brought you news which stated that Volkswagen had no intention of offloading Ducati. But a new turn of events suggests that the bidding process is still underway. Indian giant, Eicher Motors, led by Siddhartha Lal, is steaming up the bidding process to acquire the Italian superbike brand for an estimated $1.8 billion. If the acquisition is successful, it will enable the company to further widen its portfolio while also gaining access to new technology and more global markets.

It is also believed that Eicher Motors is the only Asian company left standing in the ongoing auction for Ducati. As of now, the company is finalising the financing and structuring terms by meeting with banks and consulting companies before the deadline, which is scheduled for the end of the month.

The plan to auction Ducati had initially triggered interests from a lot of potential automotive brands which included heavyweights like Harley-Davidson, Bajaj Auto and Hero MotoCorp.

Interestingly, global reports also suggest that the American automotive firm, Polaris, has also made the cut.

Ducati managed to sell 55,000 units worldwide last year. In comparison, Royal Enfield sold 6.5 lakh units in the 2016 fiscal year. The retro bike market is currently one of the hottest segments in the two-wheeler market. Estimates suggest that close to 10 lakh units of these bikes will find homes in the years to come.