This week, we have a rather insane dump of goodies to the ol’ docket:
- Volkswagen’s tightening finances and obsession with EV means their advisors are recommending Ducati Motor Holding be sold.
- BMW Motorrad’s CEO, Markus Flasch, has just landed the role of President of ACEM – and the new board seat means BMW Motorrad could be ahead of the game in their predictions for upcoming emissions and decarb rules.
- Veloce Motorcycles has decided that a two-stroke can reach superbike levels of punch, and only 24 of the end-result “Aperion” will be released to markets at a premium price point.
- Allen Miller’s Viper V10 is ready for a new owner… are you ready to buy a 500hp monster with 9,000 miles on the dial for $150,000?
Industry Insider: Volkswagen Pressured to Sell Ducati Motor Holding
Who Wants to Buy Bologna’s Best?
You heard right; apparently, investment bankers are pushing for the Volkswagen Group to consider selling off our industry’s Bologna-based crown jewel, Ducati Motor Holding.
The move, while shocking, does not necessarily come as a surprise. We’ve known for a while that Volkswagen has been actively selling off its non-auto divisions. Volkswagen has been trying to stay competitive against Chinese EV OEMs and global tech rivals and, in aiming for this penultimate peak, has been simplifying its management structure and shifting billions of dollars directly into EV tech. Unfortunately, as we are increasingly aware, this also means VW has chosen a manufacturing route that will inevitably cost the company’s ICE divisions dearly.
According to data tracked by the Financial Times and Powersports Business, Volkswagen is looking to shed up to 100,000 jobs (and close down multiple German factory locations) in their bid to beat their tech rivals. The reality is that, even after letting go of their Everllence marine engine company to the tune of €7.4 billion ($8.4B USD), we’re told that Volkswagen has been eating up funds faster than they can replenish them.
This last problem proves Volkswagen is under huge financial strain and advisors are recommending VW place Ducati squarely on the chopping block for the near future. We are told VW is even considering a public stock offering (IPO) for the House of Sant’Agata – Lamborghini – which is an equally shocking blow to the luxury vehicle space.
While Ducati remains highly solid as a source of income to VW despite setbacks – their 5.6% profit margin in a year of tariff annoyances and global restrictions is clear proof of this – there is no denying that Ducati’s successes could make Volkswagen a pretty penny if they sold the thing.
The only question is, who might be ready to flip over that penny and rake in Ducati Motor Holding for themselves?
The Pros and Cons of Buying Ducati
For those of you needing a refresher, The Volkswagen Group acquired Ducati through Audi AG back in 2012 to the tune of €747 million ($909 million USD). Since then, Ducati has grown to a staggering portfolio of 60,000 units sold per annum and a turnover of €925 million, clearing an operating profit of €52 million last year alone (Audi).
If Volkswagen decides to let go of Ducati, there are two specific buyer profiles that will likely take an interest in acquisition:
- Private Equity Aggregators (like CVC)
- Other Global Powersports Labels (such as TVS and what they’ve done with Norton Motorcycles)
If you’re thinking of buying Ducati but you’re looking from outside the borders of Italy proper, stick around – we found some particulars that might affect how Ducati looks after you’ve bought the thing.
Apparently, any company considered “international” that buys Ducati will face a slew of annoyingly complicated regulations. According to the Italian 2026 Budget Law (Law No. 199 of 30 December 2025 which officially entered into force on January 1 of this year), traditional capital goods tax credits are being phased out in favor of an incentive program that is strictly bound to assets produced entirely within the European Economic Area.
The way we understand it, whoever buys Ducati would have to make sure that Ducati’s assembly infrastructure stays inside Italy if they want crazy discounts for tax season.
Under the 2026 rules, for every $100,000 Ducati spends on new eligible equipment, the government allows deductions up to $280,000 from their taxable revenue. This saves Ducati millions of dollars in corporate income taxes… but to cash in on this massive discount, the law enforces two strict rules:
- The high-tech gear Ducait buys must be built inside the EU or European Economic Area (EEA).
- The factory using that gear must be physically located on Italian soil.
The moment an international buyer purchases Ducati and tries to move the assembly lines offshore to save on labor, Ducati’s giant tax discount instantly vanishes.
In truth, even if international buyers manage to balance the standard 22% Italian VAT and global import/export barriers, we all know that keeping Ducati in Bologna would be one of the only ways to protect Ducati’s reputation amongst its beloved high-end Ducatisti community.
But that is neither here nor there…yet.
2026 World Ducati Week
…and what better time to celebrate Ducati’s successes on its current tightrope than by heading over to take a quick look at the excellence of this year’s World Ducati Week?
Ducati’s centenarian celebrations come alongside the plain and simple fact that, put bluntly, Ducati is getting good at doing it all, and they’re continually successful at raking in funds for all they do. For this year’s World Ducati Week, then, Italy’s Misano circuit will transform into an expansive lifestyle hub with exhibition zones for each core product family. This means highlighting the mechanical evolution of Ducati’s desmodromic engineering right next to pavilions erected for the brand’s Monster, Multistrada, and Panigale lineups.
Naturally, the weekend centers around the Lenovo Race of Champions, where elite factory riders from MotoGP and WorldSBK will swap championship points for pure bragging rights aboard identical, race-prepped Panigale V4 S platforms – all in the name of fun, of course. 🙂
Expect to see custom build showdowns by day and precision stunt demonstrations with live concerts by night. There’s even a mysterious, all-new, ultra-limited centenary production model slotted for its debut at WDW… potentially the last machine to be birthed under the umbrella of the Volkswagen Group.
Stay tuned as we track VW’s evolving restructuring timelines. For more information on movement within Volkswagen, check out the recent article from Audi.
Power Moves in Powersports: BMW Motorrad CEO Becomes President of ACEM
Markus Flasch Gets a Front Row to Regulations Before They Happen
Yesterday, we were treated to news that BMW Motorrad’s CEO, Markus Flasch, had risen to Presidency of the European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers (ACEM). We did a bit of research and realized that Flasch had just secured himself a role that could compound insane benefits for BMW’s bikes.
As a standard manufacturing member of ACEM, BMW Motorrad was previously a consumer of regulatory data. As such, BMW’s motorbike division only received updates after ACEM’s internal technical committees translated early-stage emissions discussions with EU officials (the same as any other OEM).
Now, as President of ACEM, CEO Markus Flasch will directly lead the industry groups that sit down to write the laws that will, eventually and with a bit of effort, be passed in EU Parliament. Flasch will get to chat with EU lawmakers before any laws are even written or debated, as they are being created. In short, BMW Motorrad will have a front row view of what’s coming a good two to three years earlier than if Flasch wasn’t connected with ACEM.
We are told that Flasch will be in the Presidential seat for two years, in on emissions talks right alongside OEM giants like Claudio Domenicali (CEO of Ducati) and Clément Villet (Director of Land Mobility at Yamaha Motor Europe), who are, coincidentally, Vice Presidents of ACEM.
According to BMW’s recent press release, ACEM’s focus is currently on the EU’s decarbonization agenda and Flasch’s new role includes actively safeguarding the EU’s industrial competitiveness (that’s code for “how to go green without going broke”) while securing a permanent position for L-category vehicles across major EU cities.
As Flasch says here, the opportunities to align the EE with a more sustainable future has just become that much more possible:
– Markus Flasch, President of ACEM and CEO of BMW Motorrad (BMW Group PressClub Global) |
Obviously, other members of ACEM look forward to the EU’s continued agenda for L-category vehicles:
– Antonio Perlot, Secretary General of ACEM (BMW Group PressClub Global) |
Be sure to stay tuned in to news from BMW regarding their anticipations for the near and far future… goodness knows their strategies will likely be more attuned to EU’s decarbonization movement than ever, and that means more good stuff for Beemers around the world, right?
Big Bore Luxury: Veloce Motorcycles Shows Off Insane Eight-Cylinder Two-Stroke for 2027
“Aperion” Boasts 300 Horsepower and a $100,000 Price Tag
A dynamic side view of the Veloce Apron – a super bike with an insane X formation engine platform.Just when we thought the era of the high-velocity two-strokes was dead and buried under six feet of emissions regulations, an Oxfordshire-based brand has decided to that nobody should be fraternizing with that eloquent sport of horsepower maximalism, and to heck with it.
We dig the vibes, so we thought we’d cover Veloce Motorcycles’s new creation. They’re calling this thing the “Aperion.” Apeiron (or ἄπειρον) translates to “unlimited” – the primal, chaotic origin of all things that has no boundaries, no fixed shape, and no end. It’s a pretty cool title for an absolute monster of a naked bike build, as this thing carries, among other stuff, a 1,000cc, eight-cylinder two-stroke powerplant.
Collectors will have to be willing to shell out approximately £78,000 (roughly $100,000 USD depending on final market decisions) – but for that price tag, remember that you’re also getting:
- eight Aprilia RS125-derived cylinders fitted with forged Mitaka pistons into two separate V4 crankcase assemblies, all warped into a crazy cool X-shape.
- Four pairs of traditional 24mm Dell’Orto carburetors managed by a custom eight-cable spiral throttle twistgrip unit for that visceral two-stroke vibe (fed by premixed gasoline and two-stroke oil).
- A wild exhaust system laser-sintered with 3D printing technology, weaving all eight individual alloy resonance chambers.
Here’s the official specs chart for Veloce’s 2027 “Aperion:”
| Technical Element | Veloce Aperion Specification Profile |
| Engine Configuration | 1,000cc X8 Eight-Cylinder Two-Stroke |
| Peak Performance | 280 HP @ 12,000 RPM (Estimated 300 HP Track Tune) |
| Induction System | 8x 24mm Dell’Orto Carburetors / 8-Cable Throttle |
| Chassis Integration | Engine/Gearbox as stressed structural core |
| Suspension Package | USD Front Forks / Underslung Pullrod Rear Monoshock |
| Production Run | Strictly limited to 24 units globally |
As Veloce’s lead developer Jack Levy shares, efficiency was key to delivering a smart build that was as functional as it is insane:
– Jack Levy, Lead Developer at Veloce Motorcycles (Veloce Motorcycles) |
Veloce tells us that this two-stroke baby will be released to markets with a production delivery timeline starting in 2027. Will you be one of the 24 lucky owners to land a Veloce Aperion?
To view the development archive or reserve one of the 24 planned production allocations for 2027, visit the official vehicle portal at Veloce Motorcycles.
Allen Millyard’s Viper V10 Motorcycle is Hitting the Auction Block
500hp Custom Build Expected to Rake In Over $200,000
Speaking of high-horsepower monstrosities, there’s a bike with an engine that weighs the same as a Honda Gold Wing, and it’ll soon be hitting the auction chopblock over at H&H Classics.
Remember Allen Millyard, engineering expert and star of The Motorbike Show? We’re told that, after a number of fruitful years, the “Millyard Viper V10” is in line to go up for public sale. Those of you who were ogling this machine alongside our team will recall that Millyard had placed a massive, eight-litre Dodge Viper V10 sports car engine inside a highly customized motorcycle chassis for kicks and shenanigans. To date, the entire thing has been rated to release a staggering 500 horsepower and 525lb-ft of torque, and since the bike was released in 2009, it’s been breaking records… about as easily as you’d imagine, actually.
In testing, MCN tells us that former Motorcycle News road tester – Bruce Dunn – pushed the Millyard Viper V10 single-gear machine to an official top speed of 207.101 mph.
Following this, May 2023 saw the Millyard Viper V10 at Elvington Airfield in North Yorkshire, where Millyard and co-presenter Henry Cole set a Guinness World Record for the fastest speed achieved by a tandem motorcycle, reaching a blistering 183.5 mph with Cole as Millyard’s backpack (riding pillion).
Millyard has spent a total of 9,000 miles atop this machine, including a long-distance trip to Isle of Man, where the guy even rode it on the TT circuit. To date, only three people have ever been permitted to ride the Viper V10, and now, Millyard feels it is ready to let his beloved bike go, though the motion doesn’t come without its own bit of waffling:
– Allen Millyard (MCN) |
We’re told that the Millyard Viper V10 is officially on H&H Classics, ready for auction at the National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull on Wednesday, July 22, 2026 (in a few short weeks). The one-off build is expected to fetch between £100,000 and £150,000 (approximately $130,000 to $195,000+ USD), marking the very first time Millyard has ever sold one of his custom creations directly to the public in this manner.
Will you be the lucky owner of Millyard’s Viper V10?