Quote:
Originally Posted by Timpo
Kinda off topic but why is Ducati so expensive?
Is it that much better/faster than other bikes? Like when you compare to R1?
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You have to look at the scale of production. Japanese manufacturers such as Yamaha for example sold 71,000 something units in North America alone in 2011, where as Ducati had world wide annual sales of 48,000 units just last year.
Ducati is still considered a boutique brand and is a relatively small scale operation when compared to corporate giants such as Suzuki, Honda and Yamaha. The Ducati work shop is probably similar to the one MV Agusta has, something along the size of your local Coscto. Most of the bikes and its components are still built and assembled by hand.
You also have to look at all the different things the Japanese giants manufacture, they're not only doing sport bikes. They have their hands dipped into markets such as ATV's, dirt bikes, power generators, motor operated landscaping equipment, boats, power tools, some even make cars and musical instruments. The Japanese manufacturers global motorcycle sales alone go into the hundreds of thousands and pales in comparison to the numbers of units Ducati can pump out annually.
Ducati employs about a staff of 500, as opposed to the 19,688 employed by Yamaha