Ducati to build Thai factory...now confirmed

[muskrat]

I think 'investment' and 'resale value' should not be used so close together.

Resale value is not really relevant for most people on this forum I would think. But it is an issue for the type that had a 1098 with termis, etc but then 'had to' have the 1198S with traction control, termis, etc, etc.

no depreciating asset (from the time of purchase) is an investment by definition.  the term is used to allocate a loss over it's use.  this is a hobby we enjoy and I have still not found one hobby that yields a return.  we buy them for the satisfaction, at least I do, but have NEVER considered a return on my purchase when buying a bike.

[Popeye the Sailor]

So to recap the typical forum response, the consensus is the new models that everyone hates and no one will buy will be built somewhere everyone hates so they won't buy them, possibly due to poor quality issues.

These would somehow be worse the the wonderful expandable tanks with no solution in sight, the motors that just wouldn't run right (S2R1K), cracked frames on what was it, the supersport?

Am I missing anything?

[Triple J]

Key statement.... or spin?  ...more production wont leak from Italy (expensive) to Thailand (cheap)??  Of course they're not gonna come out an

My understanding from a friend who deals with production is that Italy isn't an expensive place to make things. Not to say Thailand isn't cheaper (there's always somewhere cheaper), just that Italy is easily cheap enough for the company to compete globally.

Maybe I'm just naive...but I don't think Ducati plans to move their production out of Italy. There seems to be too much national pride with the brand...plus, they just built a new factory in Italy.

[ducpainter]

My understanding from a friend who deals with production is that Italy isn't an expensive place to make things. Not to say Thailand isn't cheaper (there's always somewhere cheaper), just that Italy is easily cheap enough for the company to compete globally.

Maybe I'm just naive...but I don't think Ducati plans to move their production out of Italy. There seems to be too much national pride with the brand...plus, they just built a new factory in Italy.

...or maybe you just don't require a tinfoil hat.

[muskrat]

...or maybe you just don't require a tinfoil hat.

I don't care where they are made if the price point and the ride is just right.  [moto]

[hillbillypolack]

I don't care where they are made if the price point and the ride is just right.  [moto]

That's the sentiment that made Wal-Mart what it is today. . . . . 

[ducatiz]

That's the sentiment that made Wal-Mart what it is today. . . . . 

The alternative may be no Ducatis at all.  The upside of globalization is that we get access to niche brands, the downside is that labor costs can be exported. 

Ducati still needs to compete with the big Japanese brands to be viable.

[ungeheuer]

So to recap the typical forum response, the consensus is the new models that everyone hates and no one will buy will be built somewhere everyone hates so they won't buy them, possibly due to poor quality issues.

These would somehow be worse the the wonderful expandable tanks with no solution in sight, the motors that just wouldn't run right (S2R1K), cracked frames on what was it, the supersport?

Am I missing anything?

Nope, I think you have it summarised in a nutshell  .

[gregrnel]

I will never buy a Ducati that is not Italian built. Period.

[krolik]

I will never buy a Ducati that is not Italian built. Period.

Do you mean Italian assembled?

As others have posted, many parts on Ducatis are not made in Italy.

[ab]

I don't care where they are made if the price point and the ride is just right.  [moto]

Opinions like that sadden me.  As someone pointed out, that's why walmart (which I BOYCOTT) is successful here (and that is not necessarily a good thing).

[Popeye the Sailor]

Opinions like that sadden me.  As someone pointed out, that's why walmart (which I BOYCOTT) is successful here (and that is not necessarily a good thing).

Yes, it's saddening that people want to get more for their money.

[mitt]

Yes, it's saddening that people want to get more for their money.

Get more what?  Quantity, quality, wealth transfer, etc.  It is a lot more complicated than just the widget at $X.XX price.

mitt

[lazylightnin717]

One of the things that I appreciated most when I lived in Florence was the lack of Walmarts, McDonalds, etc. Maybe they were there and I just wasn't looking for them. It made the experience more "real" to me. Same thing with a Ducati. I love the fact that it's Italian made (aside from the Showa forks and all that...)

On the flip side. Walmart can be convenient.

I think I would choose genuine over convenience any day.

[ducatiz]

One of the things that I appreciated most when I lived in Florence was the lack of Walmarts, McDonalds, etc. Maybe they were there and I just wasn't looking for them. It made the experience more "real" to me. Same thing with a Ducati. I love the fact that it's Italian made (aside from the Showa forks and all that...)

On the flip side. Walmart can be convenient.

I think I would choose genuine over convenience any day.

Florence or Firenze?  There are a shitload of Walmarts in Florence, Alabama.

And Italy doesn't have Walmart they have IberCoop and Super IberCoop, which is pretty much the same thing.  Plenty of China-made stuff there.