Audi, a division of VW, has agreed to buy Italian motorcycle maker Ducati, according to reports. The Italian motorcycle manufacturer will be added to the German automaker’s large portfolio of passenger cars, trucks and ultra-luxury vehicles.
A 20-member supervisory board approved the purchase on Wednesday, Audi said in a statement. It did not disclose details of the deal, though sources told Reuters that Audi agreed to buy Ducati for about $1.13 billion.
With Audi’s purchase of Ducati, which has posted seven consecutive quarters of growth in North America and won several Superbike World Championships, it will finally be able to go head-to-head with rival BMW for superbike supremacy.
Reports said that Audi will complete the purchase of Ducati as quickly as possible once it has received approval by the regulators of these deals.
Ducati sold 42,000 motorcycles through 2011 and has a nine percent share in its segment. The product range includes cruisers, supermotos, adventure, naked and what it is mostly known for – superbikes. By comparison, Honda sold over 16 million motorcycles last year.