Italian firm Patritalia confirms Ducati takeover bid as its CEO doubles down on sale claims

For more than a year, rumours that Ducati could be sold by Volkswagen Group have come and gone, fuelled by reports of wider restructuring within the German automotive giant rather than anything direct from the Borgo Panigale. Now, for the first time, a company has publicly confirmed it has made an offer to buy the Italian manufacturer.

Speaking to RideApart, Massimo Ros, founder of Italian investment company Patritalia S.p.A., said his company had formally approached Volkswagen with a bid to acquire Ducati Motor Holding in its entirety.

"I can confirm that the rumours are well founded. Patritalia S.p.A has formally expressed its interest and is fully prepared to acquire 100% of Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A."

According to Ros, Patritalia was founded with the aim of returning iconic Italian companies to Italian ownership.

"The sole mission I set behind the creation of Patritalia is to 'bring back home' our Italian companies and iconic Italian brands that are currently under foreign ownership and bring them back under Italian control. Our objective is to promote a form of industrial repossession, allowing these historic brands to once again be guided by Italian vision, culture, creativity, with the goal of restoring the soul of the Italian entrepreneurial spirit."

Ros went on to argue that brands such as Ducati have lost some of their identity under foreign ownership, seemingly taking jabs at Ducati’s highly successful and varied range of bikes.

"In our view, since foreign owners took over, many of these brands have gradually lost part of the passion, originality, and distinctive Italian identity that made them famous worldwide. Under foreign ownership, several have increasingly been managed as industrial factories rather than as symbols of Italian excellence, deeply rooted in our culture. Setting economic priorities rather than preserving the Italian soul."

If Patritalia were to succeed, Ros says the company has ambitious plans for Ducati, including greater investment in racing, expansion into Moto2, Moto3 and Supermotard, and broadening the brand's appeal through new motorcycle segments.

That aside, much of Patritalia's proposal remains impossible to independently verify, and there is still no indication that Volkswagen is actively seeking a buyer.

Asked directly by RideApart whether Ducati was for sale and whether it had received Patritalia's offer, a Volkswagen spokesperson responded:

"Ducati is a strong and successful company. Portfolio reviews are part of responsible Group management. No decision has currently been taken regarding a sale of Ducati."

While that statement doesn't confirm any negotiations are taking place, it also stops short of dismissing the possibility that an approach has been made. Ros has since gone some way towards reinforcing his claims by sharing RideApart's article on his own social media channels, alongside the caption:

"In America they value our work but in Italy they boycott it... cursed mentality... the real cancer of our country!! ... one of the various articles published in the last two weeks!!"

The post doesn't offer any fresh evidence that Volkswagen intends to sell Ducati, but it does make it clear that Ros is standing firmly behind the comments he made to RideApart and his claim that Patritalia has submitted a formal offer.

Ros has also used his personal social media accounts to reinforce his association with the Bologna manufacturer. Alongside sharing RideApart's story, his profile includes photographs from Ducati's MotoGP hospitality, including images from the 2024 Italian Grand Prix at Mugello. In one post, Ros is pictured alongside Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali, while another appears to show him wearing an official "Team Guest" pass at the 2024 Misano MotoGP round. While neither image suggests any formal business relationship with Ducati or Volkswagen, they do indicate Ros is a familiar face within Ducati's MotoGP circles.

For Visordown readers, this is the latest chapter in a story we've been following for months. Reports linking Ducati with a potential sale have surfaced repeatedly as Volkswagen reviews parts of its wider business portfolio, but until now those rumours have largely been driven by analysts and unnamed sources. Whether Patritalia's bid ever receives serious consideration remains unknown, but for the first time there is now a named company publicly claiming to have put an offer on Volkswagen's desk. Whether Volkswagen chooses to open that envelope is another question entirely.

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