Ducati attracts interest of Harley Davidson - report (translated)
19 MAY 2017
Ducati, an Italian motorcycle maker owned by German car manufacturer Volkswagen [ETR:VOW], has attracted the interest of Harley Davidson [NYSE: HOG], Italian-language daily Milano Finanza reported. The report cited a source close to the dossier and said that a delegation from the US motorcycle manufacturer has been visiting the Ducati site since 17 May with a view to making a bid for the company.
The item added that major private equity funds such as KKR [NYSE: KKR] and Blackstone [NYSE:BX], as well as Middle East sovereign wealth fund could be interested. The report said that Investindustrial, which sold Ducati in 2012 could also make an offer, as Ducati would complement Aston Martin, the luxury car manufacturer controlled by Investindustrial.
The report noted that other industrial bidders could include Polaris [NYSE: PII] and Indian vehicle manufacturer Bajaj Auto [NSE: BAJAJ-AUTO].
Ducati could be worth EUR 1bn- EUR 1.5bn, the report added.