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Ducati, one of Italy’s premier motorcycle brands, had a good year in 2017. Overall global sales were up a marginal 0.7 percent, which might not sound like much, but it’s pretty strong considering the motorcycle industry as a whole was down 3.2 percent. Ducati sales in its home market of Italy were up an impressive 12 percent and U.S. sales grew 1.3 percent. The U.S. is still Ducati’s biggest market, but Italy is catching up with us and could become number one in 2018.
There are a few smaller markets where Ducati found significant growth in 2017. Deliveries were up 66 percent in Argentina and 28.3 percent in the Spanish market. In the increasingly relevant motorcycle market of China, Ducati grew 31 percent and doubled its dealer network from 9 to 18.
So with all of this regional growth, why are Ducati sales up only 0.7 percent? We’re not sure and the Ducati press release didn’t specify any regions where sales were down. It could have something to do with the rest of Europe outside of Italy and Spain. Deliveries in Europe were up only 4 percent which suggests deliveries were down in some countries being countered by the growth in Spain and Italy.
In any case, Ducati is optimistic and has every reason to be. “2017 was another great year for Ducati, both commercially and racing-wise,” stated Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati Motor Holding in a press release. “We battled it out for the MotoGP title all the way to the last race, won six GPs and brought home the best results since 2009. Continuous renewal of the product range and a strong focus on creating motorcycles of the utmost quality has allowed us to keep on growing despite the problems affecting the world market. I extend heartfelt thanks to all the men and women whose passion makes it possible, every day, to build these extraordinary bikes. Their work has made Ducati an emblem of Italian excellence”.
This is the eighth consecutive year that the brand has grown thanks to bikes such as the Multistrada and the Monster. With several exciting new motorcycles such as the Panigale V4 coming out in 2018, we have a good feeling that Ducati’s growth streak will continue for at least one more year.
