Ferdinand Piech, who has added six brands during his two-decade tenure leading Volkswagen AG, is about to add another with the purchase of Ducati Motor Holding SpA. This time he risks overreaching.
The 860 million-euro ($1.1 billion) deal for the exotic Italian motorcycle maker, which was approved yesterday by the Piech-chaired VW supervisory board, raises the number of VW nameplates to 11 and stretches the automaker’s product range from 195-horsepower two-wheelers to 50-ton trucks. The addition of Ducati isn’t likely to add much to the company’s bottom line and may prove a distraction for Piech, who is already working on the integration of Porsche AG.
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