September 3, 2007 – Ducati’s first-half profit spikes

On the verge of unveiling a new growth plan, Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. announced vastly improved revenue and profits for its fiscal first-half.
The Italian motorcycle company reported euro 235.7 million ($312 million) in first-half revenues, nearly a 40 percent increase over the past-year period. Profit also was up significantly to euro 16.3 million ($22.2 million) from euro 2.3 million a year ago.
The rapid rise in profit and revenue stems from success the company has had with its 1098 and Hypermotard, each of which were new for 2007, and other new models.
“The results of the first six months are better than the figures we had foreseen in the budget,” said Gabriele Del Torchio, Ducati’s managing director, who took over this year for former CEO Federico Minoli. “In the second half, we foresee that the positive trend of sales will continue.”
Also in the second half, Ducati will announce a strategic plan for 2008-2010. That plan is expected to be released this fall.
One area of growth for Ducati in recent years has been its motorcycle shipments to North America. For the first six months of 2007, Ducati shipped 5,816 motorcycles to North America, a 23.4 percent increase over the past year and a 63 percent rise over 2005.
Ducati also increased its shipments to its main European market (11,342) by nearly 29 percent while reducing the number of new bikes sent to Japan. psb