Ducati’s €121 Million Investment Could Shape Its Next Bikes

• €121 million programme is supported by a €33.5 million Italian government grant
• More than €99 million will go towards industrial research and experimental development

Among all those rumours of Ducati going out for sale, the company has secured approval for a €121 million development programme that could have a much bigger impact than adding capacity at Borgo Panigale. Called ‘Ducati Raise the Bar’, the programme concentrates heavily on research, new technology and future products. Even the Government is helping out Ducati. The Italian Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy has authorised Invitalia to sign the development agreement with €33.5 million of non-repayable government support going towards research and development.

More than €99 million of the programme is allocated to industrial research and experimental development. Ducati says this work is intended to expand its product range through innovative and sustainable technologies while also improving production processes. Expanding the product range is one of the explicit objectives.

The €33.5 million government grant should be understood correctly. It is support for the €121 million programme and is specifically allocated to research and development, not be added to the €121 million figure. The wider objective is to strengthen its long-term global competitiveness while developing specialised engineering expertise around Italy’s Motor Valley and its industrial supply chain.

Ducati says the programme will support the evolution of production processes alongside the development of new products. Improving the way motorcycles and components are manufactured can have less visible but equally important consequences for future products, including consistency, complexity, production flexibility and the ability to introduce new technology at scale.

So yeah, Ducati looks healthy for now to make more firecrackers!