Could Volkswagen really wave goodbye to Lamborghini and Ducati?
Two of the most glamorous names in motoring, reportedly up for discussion
Here is a rumour to make enthusiasts wince. According to a Financial Times report, Volkswagen has once again looked at cashing in on two of its most glamorous brands, Lamborghini and Ducati, as it scrambles to fund an enormously expensive overhaul. Nothing is decided, and VW is staying tight-lipped, but the fact it is even on the table says a lot about the pressure the group is under.
What is reportedly on the table
According to the FT's unnamed sources, internal discussions have revisited Lamborghini and Ducati as assets VW could monetise or sell to help pay for its transformation. The two brands are said to be treated differently: Lamborghini, which delivers some of the fattest profit margins in the entire car industry, could be floated on the stock market, with Audi retaining control, while Ducati could be sold outright. Both remain hypothetical, and Volkswagen has neither confirmed nor denied the report, saying only that all its brands must undergo fundamental transformation.
Why VW is even thinking about it
The backdrop is brutal. Volkswagen has admitted its old model, developing cars in Germany and building in Europe for export, no longer works, and it is being squeezed from every direction: sliding sales in China, the huge cost of electrification, and American import tariffs. The group is pushing through more than 35,000 German job cuts by 2030, with talk of up to 100,000 positions and several factory closures, so selling non-core assets to raise cash is an obvious lever to pull.
It is already selling things off
This would not come out of nowhere. VW has already sold a 51 percent stake in marine-engine business Everllence for 7.4 billion euro, Porsche has divested its Bugatti stake, and the group offloaded design house Italdesign to India's UST. Ducati, for its part, was nearly sold back in 2017 for bids around 1.5 billion euro before German unions with board influence blocked the deal, so those same forces could complicate any sale again.
AutoNext Take
First, the important caveat: this is a report based on unnamed sources, not a done deal, and VW is not confirming anything, so treat it as a strong signal rather than fact. That said, the logic is uncomfortable but real. Lamborghini is wildly profitable and would command a huge valuation, so a partial float could raise serious money while VW keeps a slice. Ducati is smaller and more vulnerable. Purely as fans, the idea of these two Italian icons being sold to plug a German balance-sheet hole is a little heartbreaking, even if new independence or ownership could free them to flourish. We will be watching this one very closely.
It all ties into VW's wider crisis: the group is weighing up to 100,000 job cuts and has reportedly scrapped its costly self-driving project. Ironically, Lamborghini has never looked healthier, having just launched the 812 hp Urus SE Performante.
