EXCLUSIVE: "Ducati Will Not Make Small Bikes Like KTM"

Words: Priyadarshan Bawikar

Recently, we had a chance to sit down with Marco Biondi, the Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Ducati APAC and the company’s showroom (Legacy Ducati) in Pune. While we got to shoot the breeze about many things motorcycling, Marco touched on a few important topics, namely about the company’s growth strategy in Asia Pacific as well as global markets, the possibility of an electric Ducati as well as what initiatives the company is undertaking for its 5,000+ customers in India. And Marco’s words carry some weight, considering that for Ducati, APAC is the second biggest market after the United States.

About future products

When asked about whether Ducati will consider entering the small-capacity market, like its other European competitors, such as KTM and Triumph have done, Marco stated, “We have a very clear strategy to produce upper premium luxury products. So we will not go into (the) mass market. We concentrate on these (premium) products and this standing. At this time we have decided not to have any entry-level bikes. Even a Porsche you cannot buy for EUR 10,000. So it’s the same with Ducati.” 

Marco also confirmed that while Ducati might not be venturing into smaller capacity motorcycles like ones with 250-300cc engines, the company does want to target younger riders. In Marco’s own words, the average age of a Ducati rider globally is around 45. “We don’t aim at customers who are 16-18… our entry customer would be 25 years old, for whom the entry bike would be a Hypermotard, which we’re looking at making even more attractive for younger customers. So there is a plan, but not for super young customers,” he added.

“We are looking for a platform where we can make our products available to younger customers. It doesn’t mean a product for everybody. But at a level where you can use it in the city to commute, at a level without going on track. It’ll be an engine which we use on different bikes. This is what we’re focusing on. This is what will help us to grow in the future… in the mid-segment. Do-it-all like supersport… this kind of segment we want to grow more, because it’s versatile, we can use it for everything.” He also added that the company is looking at making multiple models on this more “youth-focused, versatile” platform.

On being asked whether Ducati might be considering manufacturing this new platform in India to keep costs down, Marco said, “Honestly, at this point it isn’t needed because of the Free Trade agreement with Thailand. It’s only needed if you want to go into lower capacity, below 250cc, which for now we don’t need. Never say never, but for now it’s not on the plan.”

Currently though, the company is focused on the DesertX as it’s doing really well for them not just in India, but globally as well. We could possibly expect more variants of the DesertX in the future, along with some even more hardcore off-road versions too. Given the global interest in adventure bikes, the Multistrada remains the company’s focus too.

Is there an electric future for Ducati?

Marco confirmed that the company, at this moment, is focusing on its MotoE project as a platform to develop electric technologies for the road. But he said that electric motorcycles are still a complicated prospect. “We stand for lightweight, high performance, so in the battery sense, it’s complicated. The MotoE bike is like a Panigale, a bit less than the Panigale in terms of performance. It’s very fast, but it runs only for eight laps. We’re thinking on how to make a product that’s similar to this for everybody.” He added that currently, battery densities are not at the level which would be required for high-performance road bikes.

When could we see an electric Ducati then?

The short answer is not anytime soon. Marco said, “It’s not something we’re proactively pushing from our side, but we’re looking very intensely into it. Sooner or later we’ll have to do it. But as long as the technology is not available, it’s simply not feasible. Because otherwise you’d have a 350kg motorcycle and this is not what we stand for.”

When asked as to what kind of electric motorcycle he would like Ducati to make, he said he would love to see an electric Superleggeraa - a very high-level product which has very high performance and the lightest weight possible in the electric sense. He believes that high-performance electric motorcycles can be super fun on the track too, given that the acceleration out of corners on a short track is really good. 

Marco also shared an interesting anecdote about Ducati’s MotoE bike. He said, at a recent DRE (Ducati Riding Experience) event at the Buriram Circuit in Thailand, Alex de Angelis, the company’s MotoE test rider, had come as an instructor. De Angelis was narrating that the first time he rode the MotoE bike, right around the first corner, he heard some scraping noise, which he believed came from the bike’s fairing touching the track when leaned over. It was only later that he realised that the sound was from his knee slider scraping against the ground - something he had never heard before in all his years of riding a MotoGP bike or Superbike. That’s how silent the MotoE bike is compared to the firm’s MotoGP bike. 

About Ducati’s India strategy

Marco said announcing all the motorcycles that would be coming to India at the beginning of the year is working really well for the company. “In our opinion, it’s very important to be very transparent with our customers about what they can expect from us. And we’re focused on getting the products here as soon as they’re in the market. So if you give them insight, for example the new Scrambler is coming to the market, what is the approximate pricing, so they can already make up their mind if they really want to purchase it or not. It helps see clear interest and we’ve seen quite a lot of increase in client orders.” 

India customer response for DRE and Ducati Dream Tours

He said the response for both the Ducati Riding Experience and Ducati Dream Tours has been overwhelmingly positive from Indian customers. He mentioned that the upcoming Dream Tour in Chang Mai has already been booked out and the company has to host another five tours just to keep up with the demand. 

He added that since Ducati APAC is based out of Thailand, it is planning DRE events in Sepang, Phillip Island and Chang Mai and inviting Indian customers. He also said Indian customers love to travel abroad. Add to the fact that the serious riders have already ridden at the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) multiple times, they’re keen on riding at newer circuits.  

More things in the pipeline for Indian customers

Marco said, “We would love to do something more local for the local customers to have a playground where they can race in a safe environment. Yes we produce motorcycles, but in the end we see ourselves as an entertainment company. So if you buy a Ducati, you don’t just buy a product, you buy an entry into a family.”

He mentioned that the firm is also pushing dealers to integrate events at the local level. Various riding camps, like an off-road riding camp, which was organised around Pune recently, is something it would like to see done more regularly in other cities as well. And who knows, something like an “India Ducati Week” could also be on the cards. 

Ducati India is also keen on taking some of its customers to the upcoming Bharat GP. “We’ll copy, if we can, something we already do in MotoGP Thailand or even Malaysia, and give our customers a deep insight into the MotoGP life. We’re lucky that we have four different teams where we can go and visit the garage with our customers. We just need to wait for the organisers to give us final details about what is possible,” stated Marco before signing off.