KIWI RIDER 02 2019 VOL.1 | Page 24

DUCATI TAKES THE LEAD Globally in 2018, Ducati was the dominating force in the superbike sector, claiming that one in four superbikes sold worldwide was a Ducati. Ducati CEO, Claudio Domenicali commented that while the superbike sector has slowed, Ducati continues to grow as a company. “Although 2018 was a challenging and difficult year for the high-powered market, with a slowdown in countries important to us as the United States, Ducati closes with over 53,000 motorcycles delivered to customers worldwide, consolidating the growth achieved in recent years, he said. “2018 was a year in which we stabilised, so 24 KIWI RIDER positive both from a commercial and a sporting point of view. We have won many races in MotoGP and developed an extraordinary motorcycle. The solidity of the company is confirmed and this allows us to continue working with determination on innovation and product development to offer to our passionate customers, even in the coming years, new icons of style and technology .” Despite the company selling 2867 fewer machines in 2018 than it did in 2017, Ducati is still claiming the 53,004 bikes sold as a positive due to an overall global downturn of 3% in the 500cc and above category.