Although Ducati’s global 2019 sales volume stagnated, an accent on premium-priced products promises improved turnover and profit for parent Volkswagen, in full results that should be revealed shortly. BDN financial editor Roger Willis reports.
Overall annual retail unit sales for the brand increased by a very marginal 0.3% to 53,183 bikes. But 8304 of those were big-ticket Panigale V4 variants, confirming its status as the world’s best-selling superbike with a 25% market share.
The Multistrada adventure range also delivered the strongest performance it has ever achieved since first launched 16 years ago — 3% up to 12,160 thanks to the introduction of 950S and revamped 1260 Enduro models. And two new machines unveiled for the 2019 season made significant contributions, the Hypermotard 950 and Diavel 1260 respectively selling 4472 and 3129.
However, the Scrambler sub-brand deemed only a passing mention, about a new 800 Dark model presented at EICMA last autumn for roll-out in 2020, so it’s safe to assume that Scrambler sales continued to decline.
Italy remained the biggest market for Ducati, growing by 3% to 9474 bikes sold in 2019 and boasting a 20% rise across the past three years. Other notable European countries were Spain and France, with respective 10% and 8% improvements. Elsewhere, Brazil put on 20% and China climbed by 12% to 3200, making it the Bologna-based manufacturer’s fourth-largest export destination. But US sales fell by 2% to 7682.
Commenting on these figures, Ducati Motor Holding chief executive Claudio Domenicali said: “2019 was a tough but also rewarding year. We’re working to make Ducati the world’s most desired motorcycle brand. And the results we’re achieving, the development of the range and the market response all confirm we’re on the right track. On today’s global market, one in every four superbikes is now a Panigale. Our extensive racing experience and the technical content we’ve transferred from the R version to the 2020 range ensure this bike remains the category benchmark.”
Domenicali added that demand for the new Streetfighter V4 is also substantial, with more than 1700 already on order, and deliveries will begin in March 2020.