Ducati now owned by VW Audi

[aprilia_RS250]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/world/6770625/VWs-Audi-buys-Ducati


Might actually be good for them

[avgas]

It will be.

VW run their companies like a business - not like some kind of collection of nice things.

30 years ago, Skoda was a poor-mans Toyota, Lamborghini was a car for people who lived in perfect climate and Audi was having MAJOR marketing issues in the US.

[HenryDorsetCase]

don't mention the war!!!!

[HenryDorsetCase]

It will be.

VW run their companies like a business - not like some kind of collection of nice things.

30 years ago, Skoda was a poor-mans Toyota, Lamborghini was a car for people who lived in perfect climate and Audi was having MAJOR marketing issues in the US.

Skoda was never a poor mans toyota it was too unreliable. More a rich man's Trabant. (if you lived in eastern yrp)

[avgas]

Skoda was never a poor mans toyota it was too unreliable. More a rich man's Trabant. (if you lived in eastern yrp)
I dunno. Can't take the back window out of a 1970's Corolla and replace you broken windscreen with it. :pinch:

As for the Trabant................I would rather push a rusting GAZ than drive a Trabant.

[James Deuce]

It's just the Volkswagen group competing with BMW, don't get too excited. BMW bikes are now desirable. Audi now have a desirable bike brand without breaking a sweat, though they will shit goblins when they find out just how non-profit oriented Ducati are and always have been. Except when TPG ran them. But TPG only did that as a favour for a mate.

Audi will nuke the MotoGP programme and put a CRT squad up in its place. The team will probably be called "Tuter", but I may be reaching there.

[avgas]

It's just the Volkswagen group competing with BMW, don't get too excited. BMW bikes are now desirable. Audi now have a desirable bike brand without breaking a sweat, though they will shit goblins when they find out just how non-profit oriented Ducati are and always have been. Except when TPG ran them. But TPG only did that as a favour for a mate.

Audi will nuke the MotoGP programme and put a CRT squad up in its place. The team will probably be called "Tuter", but I may be reaching there.
If it was as simple as that why didn't VW just fire up the DKW bandwagon again. They could build a factory and design a fancy bike for 1B euro easy.
They have bought Ducati in particular for a reason.

[James Deuce]

If it was as simple as that why didn't VW just fire up the DKW bandwagon again. They could build a factory and design a fancy bike for 1B euro easy.
They have bought Ducati in particular for a reason.

Yes. Brand Recognition with crossovers in BMW's market, that appeals roughly to the same demographic. Nobody knows who the fuck DKW are these days. BMW have manufacturerd bikes continuously since the 1920s and Ducati have 50 years of continuous "heritage".

Audi aren't that interested in prototype racing, except where it affects production development like the LMR cars do for their street diesels. They'll back Superbike, probably better than Ducati ever have, but MotoGP is a dead duck.

Watch for a turbo-diesel powered Ducati adventure bike soon, along with a diesel/hybrid maxi-scooter.

[LBD]

So.... I guess I now ride a beetle?

[avgas]

So.... I guess I now ride a beetle?
No.
You ride a Golf.

[bogan]

Thank fuck they bought them after the panigale was finished, thats not a bike you want some bean counters to half ass! :drool:

[LBD]

No.
You ride a Golf.

:shit::shit::shit::shit:GGGGaaaaarrrrrrrgggghhhh.. ..NNNnnnnoooooooooooo!:facepalm::facepalm::facepal m:

[DEATH_INC.]

I can't wait to see flat four air cooled ducatis.... :facepalm:

[avgas]

Thank fuck they bought them after the panigale was finished, thats not a bike you want some bean counters to half ass! :drool:
Something tells me they wouldn't have....
http://www.oldcars.biz/cars/lamborghini-aventador-adorable-car-13.jpg

[LBD]

I can't wait to see flat four air cooled ducatis.... :facepalm:

Or a desmodeci valved golf based diesel in an mts...

[avgas]

I can't wait to see flat four air cooled ducatis.... :facepalm:
Nah your more likely to see them with a wet clutch.

[LBD]

Nah your more likely to see them with a wet clutch.

Pretty much all wet clutches now

[Bassmatt]

....with the engine in the back :yes: oh....wait....

[AllanB]

Interesting.



Also interesting and what's the relevance?

Ducati makes about 40,000 two-wheelers a year across its range of cruiser, supermoto, adventure, naked and superbikes that include the muscular Diavel and dual sport Hypermotard.

By comparison, industry leader Honda sold over 16 million motorcycles last year.

[Voltaire]

I hear they have unused capacity at the VW plant in China and are going to make the air cooled models which no longer meet Euro standards.

[Laava]

So.... I guess I now ride a beetle?

Yip. a VAG bike!:dodge:

[scracha]

Watch for a turbo-diesel powered Ducati adventure bike soon, along with a diesel/hybrid maxi-scooter.

I'm imagining the sound of a Turbo-diesel Ducati with a full Termigoni system...fuck yeah!!!!

[reggie1198]

Take 3 panigale engines. Combine, and you'd have a lovely little 3.6l V6 with around 600(ish) hp.
Now plonk that in the golf R36 or RS4/6

[BMWST?]

the laast time the germans and italians worked together didnt work out too well, in ww2 or when lamborghini tried to build a sports car for BMW which bmw ended up stealing it back and calling it the M1 http://www.topgear.com/uk/assets/cms/86ea9bf3-b196-4f69-aab8-d706060370d1/Large Image.jpg?p=081022_12:26

[ducatilover]

the laast time the germans and italians worked together didnt work out too well, in ww2 or when lamborghini tried to build a sports car for BMW which bmw ended up stealing it back and calling it the M1

Which was rather pricey and the rules around the races the car was made to be in changed, so it flopped. Was a great car though.

Proton didn't fuck the last bike company they purchased, so what's to say VW/AUDI will fuck with Ducati?

[SS90]

Proton didn't fuck the last bike company they purchased, so what's to say VW/AUDI will fuck with Ducati?

Common sense says I recon.

VW has been in the doldrums for a few years now, and it's Audi that has improved the bottom line to the substantial one it is now, remember, it's not Audi that's buying Ducati, it's VW (VW owns Audi) it's just being reported like this to bolster Audis' image.

It's correct to say there is no real reason for them to buy Ducati, it really is just a trophy in the cabinet (much like Kim Dotcom trying to buy NZs most expensive house), The VW group are just flexing their muscles, and perhaps may well obtain some good stuff from their technical department.

Its more that they are throwing sand into BMWs faces, and let's not forget that Generali insurance are the big sponsor of not only the German round of the GP, but also a major sponsor of the Ducati race team, so there has been a German financial stake in Ducati racing for some time.
I think as far as road stuff goes, the Ducatis we see will change a little (new models perhaps), but most likely they will inject a little "German order" on the whole set up (much like when BMW purchased Huskvarna, and sent a while lot of Germans there as project managers about 2 or so years ago)

The big changes will be things like rationalising expenditure in comparison to income (fiscal responsibility) No more expensive riders in the race team that don't help sales in Germany I believe we will see at least one up and coming German rider in the team next year, as if Ducati, which being run by VW was to win championship with a German rider, before BMW could do it, then "the sand will hit the eye" (so to speak)

Audi have long talked about a formula 1 team, but had to shelve that idea, as simply "Geld Brennen" (money burning), as they pretty much deal to Peugeot most years in their coverted diesel endurance races at Lemans (as well they should going by the amount of money they spend each year on it) and diesels are the future (like it or not), not high revving petrol engines.

VW will most likely turn Ducati in to a profitable business (finally), although Italians are very good at making life hard for Germans that buy their factories (as happened at Huskvarna), leading to quiet little "force major" that makes life very hard for management. (Cosa Mein Herren?)

[BMWST?]

Which was rather pricey and the rules around the races the car was made to be in changed, so it flopped. Was a great car though.

Proton didn't fuck the last bike company they purchased, so what's to say VW/AUDI will fuck with Ducati?


was more a poor attempt at a little humour than a serious concern

[bsasuper]

I asked a bloke at a sevice station today filling his duc, "Hows your VW going?", looked back with a puzzled look.Can we expect a W4 now?

[onearmedbandit]

the laast time the germans and italians worked together didnt work out too well,

Seems to be working very well with Lambo and VW/Audi though...

[bsasuper]

Seems to be working very well with Lambo and VW/Audi though...

Ahhhh, do you really know what you are talking about?, A lambo only now looks like a lambo, but its not,same badge different input from the engineers from Audi

[onearmedbandit]

Ahhhh, do you really know what you are talking about?, A lambo only now looks like a lambo, but its not,same badge different input from the engineers from Audi

Work in the car industry, boss drives a Gallardo, long time car enthusiast. Do I know everything? Nope. But Lamborghini needed someone like Audi to save their arses. Now their cars are manageable in traffic, can be driven by a wider market, are reliable (still the odd Italian fire), reach supercar speeds and stay on the road, and have retained their heritage. Most agree that the new Lamborghini's are far superior cars.

So to get back to my original point, the marriage of Audi and Lambo, Audi bringing their expertise and Lambo bringing the heritage, flair and passion (not forgetting the V12 which has only just been axed) has been a success. They're certainly selling more cars.

[ducatilover]

Work in the car industry, boss drives a Gallardo, long time car enthusiast. Do I know everything? Nope. But Lamborghini needed someone like Audi to save their arses. Now their cars are manageable in traffic, can be driven by a wider market, are reliable (still the odd Italian fire), reach supercar speeds and stay on the road, and have retained their heritage. Most agree that the new Lamborghini's are far superior cars.

So to get back to my original point, the marriage of Audi and Lambo, Audi bringing their expertise and Lambo bringing the heritage, flair and passion (not forgetting the V12 which has only just been axed) has been a success. They're certainly selling more cars.

VAG have done wonders for them, more realistic cars...sort of.

[Tigadee]

the laast time the germans and italians worked together didnt work out too well, in ww2 or when lamborghini tried to build a sports car for BMW which bmw ended up stealing it back and calling it the M1

Ahhhhh, I see... Always wondered how the Germans managed to come up with such a sexy beast at that time.

[avgas]

the laast time the germans and italians worked together didnt work out too well, in ww2 or when lamborghini tried to build a sports car for BMW which bmw ended up stealing it back and calling it the M1
Now that you mention it.
The new R8 isn't a V8 anymore is it. V10 kindly stolen out of the Lambo Gallardo.

Could end up with Trellis Frame Polo racecar in the future!

[98tls]

Personally who owns Ducati i care not,anyone stupid or vain enough to spend that much extra than any of the Jap superbikes on a purely road ridden bike must have rocks in there head.Mind you i spent hard earned on the pathetic Cagiva offerings so am a tad bitter:rolleyes:

[reggie1198]

Personally who owns Ducati i care not,anyone stupid or vain enough to spend that much extra than any of the Jap superbikes on a purely road ridden bike must have rocks in there head.Mind you i spent hard earned on the pathetic Cagiva offerings so am a tad bitter:rolleyes:

I guess I have rocks in my head then, they go nicely with the gold nuggets I shat out to buy my fourth offering from the Italian makers of two wheeled porn.
748 bip
998 bip
1098s
And now the 1198s

I would guess that most bike riders would have a Ducati in there top ten garage, if money no object, of course.

Don't hate the player, hate the game.

Reggie

[Fast Eddie]

haha yea id be keen on a desmosedici, hook it up

[reggie1198]

I'd take a panigale s myself, I bought my bikes while living in Europe as the price seemed a little more reasonable, when we came home I looked into getting a new ducati over here (I just love them). But as mentioned earlier, they are bloody expensive over here compared to the jap IL4's.
No brainier on my part, leave the furniture and bring the bike.

[avgas]

they go nicely with the gold nuggets I shat out
How the fuck do you shit gold nuggets?
(On a serious note what profession are you?)

[Brett]

VW/Audi own the likes of Lamborghini...seen the Reventon and Aventador, nevermind the R8, RS5, RS6... I think they will do just fine with Ducati.

[george formby]

Work in the car industry, boss drives a Gallardo, long time car enthusiast. Do I know everything? Nope. But Lamborghini needed someone like Audi to save their arses. Now their cars are manageable in traffic, can be driven by a wider market, are reliable (still the odd Italian fire), reach supercar speeds and stay on the road, and have retained their heritage. Most agree that the new Lamborghini's are far superior cars.

So to get back to my original point, the marriage of Audi and Lambo, Audi bringing their expertise and Lambo bringing the heritage, flair and passion (not forgetting the V12 which has only just been axed) has been a success. They're certainly selling more cars.

IIR Lambo has a research tie in with Boeing or some such plane maker developing new materials for chassis' etc. Would be interesting to see if this development filters down to Ducati bearing in mind their penchant for carbon fibre.

[reggie1198]

How the fuck do you shit gold nuggets?
(On a serious note what profession are you?)

How to put it....
I WAS in banking in Europe and got out just as the shit really hit the fan, the gold nuggets I was shitting out we're more of a metaphor of the way things were going at the time.
You could be a freaking moron and have a team of 6-10 guys (and girls) working for you and still be pulling in six figures. Trust me I know, my boss was the moron.
That said we were pretty well looked after. If you came up with a workable good idea, there was a percentage of the money saved as a bonus, for the first two years of the saving.
Save the company 100,000 and you might bank $1,000 for the first year. My idea saved them a hell of a lot more than 100K a year, in fact, in one case, we saved about 120K in interest overnight.
Still didn't change the fact that they were grossly mismanaged from the top down.

Now I pass the day playing with boats, and I really like it.

[EJK]

Yep, waiting for the TDI engine with DSG.

[raziel1983]

I can't wait to see flat four air cooled ducatis.... :facepalm:
Our VW has a V5 donk in it... :niceone:

[98tls]

I guess I have rocks in my head then, they go nicely with the gold nuggets I shat out to buy my fourth offering from the Italian makers of two wheeled porn.
748 bip
998 bip
1098s
And now the 1198s

I would guess that most bike riders would have a Ducati in there top ten garage, if money no object, of course.

Don't hate the player, hate the game.

Reggie

:laugh::laugh:I dont hate anyone fella nor would i have any of the above bikes in my garage,not saying there bad bikes just that for the money they offer nothing over bikes i could buy for 1/3 the price when ridden hard down real world roads by anyone with ability,sure there pretty and there was a time long ago in my life when i belived all that i read was the god given truth but hey thats life eh.There would be a Duc in my money no object garage but it was built long ago when the purchase price of said Duc actually gave even the average rider an advantage when ridden on real world roads.

[reggie1198]

I must admit I'd never by another 748 again, under powered and very dodgy suspension set up, and as for any advantage in the real world roads.....a CBR250 is all you need on the public roads, the track is where the 1198 really comes into it's own. My ten bike garage would have the following.

Britten V1000
1199s panigale (tricolore)
XR600
ZX14
998R
RVF400
Yamaha M1
Vincent black shadow
1198S (in black, with termi's)
RGV250 (track bike)

[Brett]

Audi make a factory, lightweight V8 that spins up to 8500rpm factory reliably. Imagine how they might be able to help improve V twins...

[onearmedbandit]

Audi make a factory, lightweight V8 that spins up to 8500rpm factory reliably.

And they sound delicious. Forget your aussie V8's (well ok they are American), the Euro's do V8's the best.

[ducatilover]

And they sound delicious. Forget your aussie V8's (well ok they are American), the Euro's do V8's the best.

Not much comes close to a decent Italian 8 :love:

[Brett]

Not much comes close to a decent Italian 8 :love:

A German 8.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB9whOHrG7E&feature=related Sex on the ears.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC70O8PeOps&feature=related More ear sex

And one more to prove my point. (damn this has been enjoyable research.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIVGapgM1Mo

Not quite as sexy....but still good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwCwMRDjWGI&feature=related

Edit - i think I need a moment alone.

[EJK]

Not quite as sexy....but still good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwCwMRDjWGI&feature=related

Edit - i think I need a moment alone.

Not quite as sexy? Are you deaf? lol

Damn.... Previous Mercedes (W203 or W211) 55 AMG V8s didn't sound meaty but now the engine from 63 AMGs (204 and 212) are grunty as hell! They gurgle, snarl and crackle!

[Taz]

:laugh::laugh:I dont hate anyone fella nor would i have any of the above bikes in my garage,not saying there bad bikes just that for the money they offer nothing over bikes i could buy for 1/3 the price when ridden hard down real world roads by anyone with ability,sure there pretty and there was a time long ago in my life when i belived all that i read was the god given truth but hey thats life eh.There would be a Duc in my money no object garage but it was built long ago when the purchase price of said Duc actually gave even the average rider an advantage when ridden on real world roads.

Soooo.... How much have you spent on that TL?? :lol:

[Kickaha]

Soooo.... How much have you spent on that TL?? :lol:

Enough to repay all of New Zealands foreign debt

[Brett]

Not quite as sexy? Are you deaf? lol

Damn.... Previous Mercedes (W203 or W211) 55 AMG V8s didn't sound meaty but now the engine from 63 AMGs (204 and 212) are grunty as hell! They gurgle, snarl and crackle!

It's the smooth pur of the Audi that I love...

another

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX9gP9iT9Jo&feature=relmfu

[Brett]

Holy shit. This RS4 sounds nuts. There is not a lot stock about that motor though I wouldn't have thought.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-iuty7175A&feature=related

[Fast Eddie]

Not much comes close to a decent Italian 8 :love:

lol one that actually starts and runs does ;)

[Fast Eddie]

I watched on top gear sometime that audi had even started having a system where raw fuel was dumped in the exhaust between gear changes to give it a bit of a crackle/rumble between changes. sounds mint and a very good use of fuel I thought

[Brett]

I watched on top gear sometime that audi had even started having a system where raw fuel was dumped in the exhaust between gear changes to give it a bit of a crackle/rumble between changes. sounds mint and a very good use of fuel I thought

Yeah that would be the RS5 (and new RS4 coming out later this year as well...share same engine I believe).

[nosebleed]

Eurogash youtubes.

An oldie but a goodie. She was my "first", many years ago...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBkX8GS5FoY&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Love the walk around the front at the start.

[Mooch]

Holy shit. This RS4 sounds nuts. There is not a lot stock about that motor though I wouldn't have thought.


Hopefully the new owners don't f up the sound


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tatEDBEytnY&feature=player_detailpage

[EJK]

Speaking of Italian, and V8s, here is my favorite.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=AN1alyW4tVE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKUobz9iZ_g



I like high revving, crisp engine sound. Another reason why I like MV Agusta.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-Rnaa5HZ0Q

[ducatilover]

A German 8.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB9whOHrG7E&feature=related Sex on the ears.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC70O8PeOps&feature=related More ear sex

And one more to prove my point. (damn this has been enjoyable research.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIVGapgM1Mo

Not quite as sexy....but still good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwCwMRDjWGI&feature=related

Edit - i think I need a moment alone.
F355.
That is all.


lol one that actually starts and runs does ;)
They make them???????

Speaking of Italian, and V8s, here is my favorite.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=AN1alyW4tVE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKUobz9iZ_g



I like high revving, crisp engine sound. Another reason why I like MV Agusta.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-Rnaa5HZ0Q

I was going to put the F355 up, but I've been beaten! :love::Punk: Best sounding 8 I've heard in person, the RS4 is good, but doesn't sound special enough, you can get more or less the same noise from a Toyota 8 :bleh:

[MrKiwi]

I don't care much for Ducati's anyway :bleh:

[Mooch]

F355.
That is all.


They make them???????


I was going to put the F355 up, but I've been beaten! :love::Punk: Best sounding 8 I've heard in person, the RS4 is good, but doesn't sound special enough, you can get more or less the same noise from a Toyota 8 :bleh:

Having driven a F355 around Silverstone. Nice sounding V8 at revs ! Still like the sound of an old 2 valve pushrod big block V8 via twin exhausts. Brock's old AX9 Torana being one of the best.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXKvIKVvP1Y&feature=player_detailpage

[ducatilover]

Having driven a F355 around Silverstone. Nice sounding V8 at revs ! Still like the sound of an old 2 valve pushrod big block V8 via twin exhausts. Brock's old AX9 Torana being one of the best.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXKvIKVvP1Y&feature=player_detailpage

I love me an old iron block too, can't beat how deep they sound :sunny: You're a lucky bugger getting to punt an F355 around Silverstone!

[240]

A friend of mine who is in europe involved with marketing suggests that they will drop the Ducati name in 2016 and re name it as Audi to compete head on with BMW. I hope not, as the brand deserves better than that :no:

[240]

A friend of mine who is in europe involved with marketing suggests that they will drop the Ducati name in 2016 and re name it as Audi to compete head on with BMW. I hope not, as the brand deserves better than that :no:

[Devil]

That wont happen.

[AllanB]

Highly unlikely. Your 'marketing' friend should be well aware that a substantial amount of the billion euro Audi spent buying Ducati relates to the name and history associated with it.

[Muppet]

Can't imagine Dukes coming out of the factory with the Audi symbol on the tank. Oh well at least the Germans will show the Italians a thing or two about quality control and reliability. Something Ducati have failed to take on board...

[Voltaire]

Yeah great VW/Audi things like the plastic water pump impellers that fail as they are shite, the cambelts that don't last as long as they should , crap central locking... well thats my 2002 van experiences....nice to drive though.....
My bevel drive Ducati on the other hand is very reliable.:msn-wink:

[sil3nt]

More likely that Audi starts creating their own IL4 superbike to compete with BMW.

[MIXONE]

I heard the audis were going to be rebadged as DUCATI.:confused:

[onearmedbandit]

A friend of mine who is in europe involved with marketing suggests that they will drop the Ducati name in 2016 and re name it as Audi to compete head on with BMW. I hope not, as the brand deserves better than that :no:

Sorry but I doubt that very much. Audi might develop a brand of bike themselves using Ducati's resources (the head of Audi is a bike nut) but they would never kill off the Ducati name. Look what Audi did when the took control of Lamborghini, they didn't kill off Lambo, instead they used their resources to create the R8, and also power their RS6. Now they have the best of both worlds.

[Yow Ling]

VAG own the DKW brand dont they, slap that on the ducatis and bring back the 350 deek I say

[EJK]

A friend of mine who is in europe involved with marketing suggests that they will drop the Ducati name in 2016 and re name it as Audi to compete head on with BMW. I hope not, as the brand deserves better than that :no:

Your "marketing" friend should quit his job and go back to uni.

[BMWST?]

Doesnt VAG?audi alreaady own a motorcycle name...is it Auto Union?or am i thinking about audi itself?

[Kickaha]

Your "marketing" friend should quit his job and go back to uni.

He is a classic example of why we call marketing "The colouring in Dept" and they'd be lucky to stay within the lines

[Voltaire]

Doesnt VAG?audi alreaady own a motorcycle name...is it Auto Union?or am i thinking about audi itself?

Auto Union or Audi as its now called was I think (an early version of Googled) made up of Horch, Wanderer and DKW.....DKW was big like BSA but after the war fell on the Eastern side and morphed into MZ..... Audi have been around ages....I remember the 70's models as German oddities ......but then VW marketing went up a gear. The Audi TT , Beetle and Golf all share the same platform.

Seems odd though how a German company would buy a loss making Italian firm....maybe they are going to mass produce skootahs.:laugh:

Good stuff that you just posted it without being a Google anorak :niceone: makes a change from boring internet cut and paste.

[pritch]

A friend of mine who is in europe involved with marketing suggests that they will drop the Ducati name in 2016 and re name it as Audi to compete head on with BMW. I hope not, as the brand deserves better than that :no:

Is there an echo in here?

Your mate shouldn't start smoking that stuff until after work.:doobey:

[BMWST?]

Auto Union or Audi as its now called was I think (an early version of Googled) made up of Horch, Wanderer and DKW.....DKW was big like BSA but after the war fell on the Eastern side and morphed into MZ..... Audi have been around ages....I remember the 70's models as German oddities ......but then VW marketing went up a gear. The Audi TT , Beetle and Golf all share the same platform.

Seems odd though how a German company would buy a loss making Italian firm....maybe they are going to mass produce skootahs.:laugh:

Good stuff that you just posted it without being a Google anorak :niceone: makes a change from boring internet cut and paste.

since you asked wiki says

Auto Union was formed in Germany in 1932,[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto_Union#cite_note-0) merging:


Audi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audi) - having fallen out with family member, August Horch founded Audi in Zwickau (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zwickau) 1909, which built inline-four (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inline-four_engine)-, six (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inline-six_engine)- and eight (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight-eight_engine)-cylinder-engined cars.
DKW (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DKW) - steam equipment company founded by Danish (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denmark) engineer Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B8rgen_Skafte_Rasmussen) in 1916, it branched out into motorcycles, and then front-drive two-stroke cars built at Audi works in Zwickau (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zwickau) since 1931.
Horch (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horch) - founded by August Horch (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Horch) in Zwickau (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zwickau) 1904, it built cars starting from straight-2 engines to luxury models with V8- (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V8_engine) and V12 engines (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V12_engine).[2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto_Union#cite_note-1)
Wanderer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanderer_(car)) - founded in 1911, with small four-cylinder cars and later a more luxurious V6 built in Siegmar (nowadays Chemnitz (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemnitz)):bleh:

[Voltaire]

since you asked wiki says

Auto Union was formed in Germany in 1932,[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto_Union#cite_note-0) merging:


Audi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audi) - having fallen out with family member, August Horch founded Audi in Zwickau (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zwickau) 1909, which built inline-four (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inline-four_engine)-, six (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inline-six_engine)- and eight (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight-eight_engine)-cylinder-engined cars.
DKW (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DKW) - steam equipment company founded by Danish (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denmark) engineer Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B8rgen_Skafte_Rasmussen) in 1916, it branched out into motorcycles, and then front-drive two-stroke cars built at Audi works in Zwickau (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zwickau) since 1931.
Horch (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horch) - founded by August Horch (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Horch) in Zwickau (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zwickau) 1904, it built cars starting from straight-2 engines to luxury models with V8- (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V8_engine) and V12 engines (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V12_engine).[2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto_Union#cite_note-1)
Wanderer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanderer_(car)) - founded in 1911, with small four-cylinder cars and later a more luxurious V6 built in Siegmar (nowadays Chemnitz (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemnitz)):bleh:


dang...you made me click on the blue bits....so when Germany was divided the AUDI factory became the Trabant factory....so Ducati should not be a problem to manage..:laugh:

[Brett]

A friend of mine who is in europe involved with marketing suggests that they will drop the Ducati name in 2016 and re name it as Audi to compete head on with BMW. I hope not, as the brand deserves better than that :no:

Hell no, the Ducati brand is worth millions (if not billions). by rebranding as Audi, they would decimate the value of their motorcycle brand.

[arkeo]

Hell no, the Ducati brand is worth millions (if not billions). by rebranding as Audi, they would decimate the value of their motorcycle brand.

I think that you are right. I can't conceive that people in marketing dep. at AUDI are so fool that they will do a move insane like that.

[EJK]

Looks like Audi has already begun poking designer's brains, but still it's no Ducati.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/motoring/6924971/Audis-Electric-pushbike