Volkswagen Weighs Selling Lamborghini or Ducati: The Group Needs Cash for Restructuring and EVs
D.Novikov
Advisers are urging VW to revisit a Ducati sale or a Lamborghini IPO. Bloomberg values Lamborghini at over $22 billion, and the brand posted $888 million in profit last year.
Volkswagen is once again facing an uncomfortable choice: raise money to rebuild the business or hold on to its brightest and most profitable brands. According to Financial Times, advisers are suggesting the group revisit the idea of selling Ducati or taking Lamborghini public. This isn't a decision yet, just a discussion — but the fact itself is telling: the pressure on VW has grown to the point where even premium assets are back in the calculation.
The reason isn't any weakness at Lamborghini or Ducati — quite the opposite, investors want them precisely because of their strength. Lamborghini, bought by Audi in 1998 for $110 million, is now valued by Bloomberg Intelligence at more than $22 billion. Ducati came to VW Group in 2012 for $909 million. In the past year alone, Lamborghini reportedly delivered $888 million in profit.
The financial backdrop here runs deeper than routine corporate belt-tightening. Volkswagen has already sold a controlling stake in its marine engine business Everllence, but the proceeds could go toward a sweeping restructuring, EV investment and the fight against Chinese manufacturers. 32CARS previously reported on possible cuts of up to 100,000 jobs and the closure of four plants. For Europe's largest carmaker, this is no cosmetic fix but an attempt to rebuild the economics of production from the ground up.
The paradox is that selling Lamborghini and Ducati looks logical on paper yet risky strategically. Mass-market brands like VW, Skoda and Seat/Cupra, along with part of the EV lineup, live under price pressure, while the premium marques deliver margin, image and a loyal audience. Porsche has already been spun off into its own public story, Bentley remains a niche luxury flagship, and Lamborghini is that rare asset combining ultra-expensive SUVs, supercar status and strong investment appeal.
A sale still looks like the less likely scenario for now: analysts surveyed by Financial Times believe VW is unlikely to part easily with profitable brands. But if the topic is resurfacing at all, then Volkswagen's problems have already moved beyond EVs and a few failed projects.
Right now Lamborghini and Ducati matter to VW not as pretty toys in the portfolio, but as assets that are too valuable to sell and too significant to leave out of the math.
