Ducati CEO dismisses potential ownership change amid ongoing sale rumours

Ducati has responded to mounting sale rumours involving the company’s owners, Volkswagen, saying no talks are taking place at Borgo Panigale.

Robert Jones

07 Jul 2026

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World Ducati Week might have taken centre stage in Misano last weekend, however, continued rumours regarding the potential sale of Ducati have been doing the rounds, rumours that have now been addressed by the company’s CEO.

Last week it was the turn of Volkswagen, Ducati’s owners, to address rumours of a potential sale of the Borgo Panigale brand. However, an official statement provided to the US publication, RideApart, did little to confirm or deny anything of the sort.

The statement went on to explain that every part of the Volkswagen Group, including "brands and subsidiaries", was to undergo a "profound transformation". This involves focusing on efficiency, reducing costs and tighter control over investment.

Instead of dismissing the rumours, a Volkswagen AG spokesperson shifted the focus onto challenges the automotive company is facing. This means World Ducati Week 2026, which celebrated Ducati’s centenary birthday on July 3-5, took place with the same ongoing rumours surrounding a potential sale in the future.

But Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali has responded to these rumours for the first time, saying Ducati is “in very good shape”.

Speaking to Australian publication MCNews, Domenicali said:

“The company is in very good shape. It is also completely self-standing. We do not really need support from the shareholder to make our investment plan for the future, to make the new models. It is a very solid investment plan.”
“At the moment, there is no discussion happening in Borgo Panigale. That is part of the shareholder possibility, depending on their needs, to buy a new company or to disinvest something. So it is not something that is completely impossible, but actually for the time being, there is nothing going on in Borgo Panigale.”

While this does not rule out changes from taking place in the future, Ducati’s statement implies that it would not be affected too much by any ownership change.