[AlfonsoR]

This was touched on in another thread, but its now been confirmed that Ducati has almost finished development on their first electric bike. Looks like they will be relying on tech from Energica Motors which supplies all of the components to the E-MotoGP. A lot of brands seem to setting on supermotard styling for their electric bikes.

https://jalopnik.com/ducati-is-close-to-a-production-electric-bike-1831895317

 

[eHD]

Sales will likely be good and show how much branding works even when its not a true Ducati at heart and the fact it'll attract a new customer base.

 

[Zephyr]

And the most expensive Ducati to date. Love the concept, but I don't know if they'll actually be able to deliver that in the production model. I find it hard to believe it will be ready for production by the summer if it hasn't even been seen yet.

 

[eHD]

And the most expensive Ducati to date. Love the concept, but I don't know if they'll actually be able to deliver that in the production model. I find it hard to believe it will be ready for production by the summer if it hasn't even been seen yet.

Not true, some Superleggera Ducati's easily double the price for any battery electric bike to be offered, if anything its one of the few runner up's

 

[Juiced]

Pricing will be reflected by the number of units that Ducati plans on producing. If there are only going to be a few hundred of them for launch, then it'll lean towards the higher end of the spectrum. Whether Ducati fans have an interest in something electric in the first place is a better question.

 

[eHD]

Pricing will be reflected by the number of units that Ducati plans on producing. If there are only going to be a few hundred of them for launch, then it'll lean towards the higher end of the spectrum. Whether Ducati fans have an interest in something electric in the first place is a better question.

That I feel is also not true. Harley has the opportunity to price it with similar spec bikes from the competition, or slightly under to take a slight loss.
The result would be Harley's image as a forward thinking electric bike company.

 

[AlfonsoR]

With how long the Livewire was in development, there is no knowing how much was spent during the process. For all we know they could still be loosing money even at its current price point. That's not something a struggling company can sustain.

 

[Juiced]

Sometimes selling a product at a loss is worth the new buyers that it brings to your doors. We know that HD has had a really tough time appealing to younger demographics and that's the main reason why their sales have been sliding.

 

[eHD]

Essentially Harley's entire consumer demographic is retiring from the scene.. ouch. Its so bad they've set up in nations across the sea.

 

[Zephyr]

They havent adapted to shifts in the market and remain committed to a class of bike thats been seeing declining interest for years. I wouldnt be surprised if a lot of their revenue lately has been coming from memorabilia and apparel.

 

[eHD]

Not to mention that the motorcycle industry has changed a lot to the point that other countries that only seen them as A-to-B vehicles now have growing demand for models that suit enthusiasts. I for one am a fan of this but dislike it.

One downside is the shift in production and poor build quality coming as a result. Being Harley gives them some advantage and that's consumers giving them 2nd and 3rd chances.

 

[AlfonsoR]

A recall here or there doesn't mean that build quality has taken a hit. Just look at what we've seen from the new V4 Ducati. So long as they are catching problems before they result in injuries, I don't think it will discredit the reputation of their products.