Ducati have confirmed they will not enter the increasingly popular small-capacity motorcycle market, despite rival manufacturers finding great success with affordable lightweight singles. The Italian brand says that pursuing volume sales would go against everything it stands for.
Models such as Triumph’s Speed 400 and Scrambler 400X, Honda’s GB350, and the BSA Bantam have quickly risen to prominence since their launch, often competing for top positions in monthly sales charts and even outselling more premium machines. Even close rival BMW has had decent success with its 310 range.
Instead of chasing low-cost entry-level bikes, Ducati is focusing on lower-capacity performance models like the 803cc Scrambler range and the recently launched 698 Mono to attract younger riders while maintaining the brand’s premium identity.
All Ducati motorcycles sold in Europe are assembled in Borgo Panigale, Italy, a tradition the brand insists will not change. “If you want to be competitive making smaller bikes, you need to manufacture outside Italy,” a communications executive from the company said. “For us, ‘made in Italy’ is something we don’t want to give up, it’s part of our identity.”
For the Asia-Pacific region, Ducati’s motorcycles, except those bound for Japan and Australia, are produced in its Thailand facility. The company stresses, however, that the plant was not established to cut costs. “We don’t have that factory to make cheaper bikes,” Ducati said. “We have it because otherwise we would face high taxes. It’s the only way to sell in that part of the world.”
Unlike rivals chasing high-volume sales, Ducati is content to remain a low-volume, high-prestige manufacturer. According to the company, it does not want to chase numbers and neither is it important for them to sell a lot of bikes.
