Motorbike brand Ducati could be merged with a rival or enter an alliance given a lack of synergy potential with the passenger car businesses at VW, Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) Chief Executive Herbert Diess told German daily Handelsblatt.
Volkswagen has struggled to find a long-term solution for the motorbike brand amid internal power struggles, with a 1.5 billion euro ($1.8 billion) auction stalled last year amid resistance from German trade unions.
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“I can imagine a combination or a partnership with other brands. Ducati as a motorbike icon business within the Volkswagen Group is not sufficient,” Diess, who took the helm as Volkswagen chief executive in April, told the paper.