On the face of it, Ducati has enjoyed a tremendous year so far, with the Bologna-based manufacturer’s global bike sales up by 22% in the first six months of 2015 to an all-time record of 32,600 units.
But that headline number needs to be set in the context of impressive success for Ducati’s new Scrambler sub-brand, which accounted for more than 9000 units. Subtract the Scrambler surge, representing a style category that wasn’t available in the equivalent period of 2014, and you get a different picture. Sales of the rest of its range combined are actually down by at least 12% year-on-year.
Of these we were told that, ranking behind the Scrambler, came the Multistrada 1200 (4700 units), Monster 821 (3700 units) and 1299 Panigale (more than 3000 units), plus “good sales figures” for the Diavel, 899 Panigale, Hypermotard and Monster 1200. Well, they can’t all be good.
Nevertheless, such inconvenient party-pooping arithmetic aside, the company didn’t resist boasting about “accelerated growth”. Half-yearly sales volume in the USA, Ducati’s largest market, rose by 10%. Much better increases, percentage-wise, were highlighted elsewhere — Italy (51%), Spain (36%), the UK (36%), Germany (24%) and France (23%). June has been Ducati’s best month to date, with a 60% rise to a record 7400 bikes sold worldwide. More than 1900 units shifted in North America and more than 500 units in Japan were also records.