Global component shortages and shipping challenges, a knock-on effect of last summer’s coronavirus factory shutdowns, may be causing problems to manufacturing businesses around the world but that hasn’t stopped Ducati from bucking the trend and delivering record sales figures in 2021.
The after-effects of the lockdowns caused many manufacturers to have a shortage of bikes in their showrooms this year, but the iconic Italian brand has already knocked out more bikes in 2021 than it did in the whole of 2020.
In the first nine months of 2021, 49,693 Ducatis have found new homes, compared to 48,042 in 2020, with the past three months being the busiest in the company’s 70 year history. Italy remains the Audi-owned company’s biggest market, with almost 8,000 bikes sold in its homeland, with United States just behind, while the new Multistrada V4 was understandably the most popular model.
Speaking about the company’s success, Francesco Milicia, Ducati VP Global Sales and After Sales (pictured), said: "Ducati closed the first nine months of the year with sales volumes that are already higher than the full year 2020, both for the bikes and for after-sales products like clothing, accessories and spare parts. The growth we are experiencing is practically widespread on all the main markets in which Ducati is present and extends across the product families.
“We are very satisfied with the results obtained: the community of Ducatisti is growing all over the world and the most influential magazines in the motorcycling sector are awarding important prizes to Ducati bikes. This is a source of pride and satisfaction for us here in Borgo Panigale and in all Ducati subsidiaries worldwide. The brand is now more solid and appreciated than ever and we are already focusing on next year. In fact, in these weeks, we are presenting to the world the new products for the coming year, through the web series Ducati World Première 2022".
Ducati’s march forward looks set to continue into next year, with a whole host of new models planned. The company has already shown an updated Scrambler 1100, dubbed the Tribute Pro, and a Multistrada V2 – an evolution of the outgoing Multistrada 950. The headline new model is expected to be a mainstream adventure bike, provisionally called the DesertX, featuring the Multistrada V2’s 937cc L-twin engine but in a more off-road focussed package which includes spoked wheels with a large 21” hoop up front – just like Honda’s bestselling Africa Twin.
