Four new 'high-end' models on the way

[zooom]

i think they are really neglecting the entry level sales which in turn equal high end sales

probably not as much profit on the 'low end' bikes, however.

thats true

and it all depends on if they have production room available as in if they are already at max production
then no point making low profit bikes but this is where the thai factory could have the capability

again back to my point

either you make a cheaper bike that is an entry level bike which in turn could lead to brand loyalty and equal a higher

end product with higher profit , or you sell nothing  to that customer

aprillia dont make scooters for nothing  , its another market segement  , same as the diavel , a high percentage of diavel
buyers were first time ducati buyers


same reason apple just released a cheaper iphone, although its not that cheap  which i think they have really
missed the boat a long time ago because they are greedy pricks

I have my thoughts on this.

1st-a bike by itself does not have a big profit margin. The accessory aftersales on the otherhand are an opportunity for good profit gains in multiple ways. This is where the bread gets buttered for the manufacturer and the dealer. Roll in that carbon fiber package and/or Termi's and whatever else into their loan ( because most low end bikes within this brand are probably financed) and you are talking an additional few dollars onto their monthly payment in comparo to the bigger perceived money spent buying it outright afterward.

2nd- Having a low end offering to bring consumers into your product line as an almost loss leader has been done for years. The Audi A1 is a more recent example for sure. BMW started that trend in the mid 90's for example with the 318ti as a way to bring people who had "some" money into their product line and grow them to further offerings within the brand. Mercedes has done this as well with their offerings line the 190 series in the 80's and continuing to do so with their C class vehicles like the C230, which happens to be a pretty damned good car generally speaking. While these vehicles don't inspire glitz and glamour like their more expensive siblings, what they do is just as important in many ways. They make the ownership into the marque a pleasant enough experience to inspire them to not look elsewhere when making the next step up. They make the owner feel good as someone who owns a status, and not just a machine. Arrogant as that sounds, the consumer that is going to spend spend spend, is more than likely going to do so out of some level of arrogance no matter where or how it is applied. The rub however is the timeframe in which that growth happens. The bike consumer and market move at an entirely different pace than the car market when it comes to this process. If said bike is "financed" they are a slave to that loan period because usually they are financed at a greater $$$ than the actual resale value due to interest and so forth which puts them behind the ball in terms of upgrade. If that term is say, 4 years, in 4 years time riding that same entry level bike, how trapped or disolutioned do you think they feel? In the car world, not so much because the car doesn't have as exciting and different growth from year to year like motorcycles do. Pair that with the fact that motorcycles in general are much more recreational, and you put a greater "need" have to have that whiz bang newness because it is a fun thing. That in turn puts the emphasis on the arrogance factor which accelerates the process of vehicle turnover in the motorcycle industry versus the car industry. There are excellent points in which to pontificate at great lengths on either side of this discussion though. 

[duccarlos]

Back to the point of this thread, "high-end" models. The SF is dead if they bring out a water-cooled Monster. The SS is out as well without the air-cooled engine. Let's look at the high-end market and see where they can fit:

1) Sportbike - Duh! Covered with 1199 and 899
2) Dual Sport - Multi
3) Cruiser - Diavel
4) Motard - Hyper
5) Standard/Naked - Monster
6) Retro - Predicted Scrambler
7) Sport Tourer - You could make a point that it's covered by the Multi

Unless they completely do something different, they could only add to segments in Sport Touring.

[duc_fan]

They could potentially do a "real" dual-sport.  The Multi 1200 now resides somewhere between sport-touring and full-dress touring.  Have you seen the Multi 1200S GranTurismo?  It's a nice bike, but it's not a dual-sport by any stretch of the imagination.  The crash bars are for show.  Can you imagine fording water or spending extensive time on dirt roads with that frackin' air inlet in the timing belt cover right behind the front wheel?  <facepalm>  The "multistrada" name now means "many roads" only in the sense that it can go from the Autobahn to a paved Swiss mountain road to a slightly rough paved road in Italy or Spain.  I can't imagine trying to spend any significant time off-pavement on that thing.

The Hyperstrada is kind of a joke.  Yeah, they added a *little* wind protection and threw some bags on it.  A 4.2 gallon tank won't take you very far... at least not out here in the great wide-open West.  I'm sure the mill is wonderful and the geometry looks like a fun-handling machine, it's just that the bike as a whole package seems to be of limited utility.  We'll see what happens with sales figures.

I think I'll bow out of further prognostication.  I said above they "could potentially"... I honestly claim no clue about what the business development types at Ducati are thinking, mostly just providing my perspective on certain parts of their current lineup.

[77south]

It's time to blindside the competition, and release a model no one saw coming.  Ducati Trials Bike.

[Raux]

not speculation but a cool thought

a Hypermotard Dirt edition with big front wheel, ground clearance of the Evo S and knobbies

[Skybarney]

As long as they don't come out with a three wheeled "Duc-cycle" I will continue to support the brand.   

[ducatiz]

As long as they don't come out with a three wheeled "Duc-cycle" I will continue to support the brand.   

every time i see a CanAm, I count the man cards that were turned in.

[zooom]

every time i see a CanAm, I count the man cards that were turned in.

normally I would agree with you, but I happen to know 1 gentleman who used to race 250's and is/was blindingly fast on any of his previous street bikes...due to a degenerative bone disorder he just can't move his legs and/or sometimes hold a bike up, but he still has every will to want to ride, so he has a Can-Am now.....when he pulls up places to get off, you watch him manually straighten his leg and go through his dismount with his folding cane and all....and yet, he is still fast on the CanAm too....but he is the reason I don't automatically count out people on those....

[Raux]

yeah I have a friend who wants to ride bikes bad, bought a KTM, but due to a degenerative bone disease couldn't hold it up... I've been recommending he get a CanAm as well

[ungeheuer]

a Hypermotard Dirt edition with big front wheel, ground clearance of the Evo S and knobbies

Yes please.

[Ducatamount]

not speculation but a cool thought

a Hypermotard Dirt edition with big front wheel, ground clearance of the Evo S and knobbies

It would have to have a helluva skid plate to protect the front cyl.

[ungeheuer]

It would have to have a helluva skid plate to protect the front cyl.

Like..

this

Let me wash out the bad taste with this (not the dude, the bike!):

[zooom]

Like..

this

http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=34105.msg1202041#msg1202041

that this is

[ungeheuer]

that this is

agreed

[Ducatamount]

Like..

this

   

yeah, that works.