The Ducati Panigale was the bestseller around the world in the superbike segment in 2018, according to data released by Ducati. In all, Ducati Motor Holding sold 53,004 motorcycles to customers worldwide, which underscores that the 50,000 unit sales threshold, first reached by Ducati in 2015, has now been achieved for the fourth consecutive year. The big news is that a significant contribution to this result came from the success of the Panigale family, which accounted for a sale of 9,700 bikes in 2018. This number is a 70 per cent increase on 2017, and makes Ducati, for the very first time, the leader of the superbike segment with a market share of 26 per cent. In 2018, one out of every four superbikes sold worldwide was a Ducati Panigale.
Equally successful was the Multistrada family, which sold a total of 11,829 bikes in 2018. However, 2018 saw a slight 5 per cent drop in overall Ducati sales, from 55,871 bikes in 2017 to 53,004 bikes in 2018. Ducati says, market interest in the Panigale and Multistrada families has reinforced the Italian motorcycle manufacturer's position in the high-end market.
The Ducati Multistrada family was also quite popular in 2018
"While 2018 was challenging for the big motorcycles market, with slowdowns in important countries like the US, Ducati had, by the end of the year, delivered over 53,000 bikes to customers worldwide, consolidating the growth achieved in recent years", stated Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati Motor Holding. "In 2018 we achieved stability and the year was positive both in terms of business and racing. We won numerous MotoGP races and developed an exceptional bike. In short, the solidity of the company remains undisputed, as does our penchant for driving ahead with innovation and product development so we can, over the coming years, continue offering customers new icons of style and technology."
Ducati's largest market worldwide in 2018 was the home market of Italy, where the brand posted 4.5 per cent growth, reaching 9,200 bikes. Bike deliveries in the US - historically Ducati's number one market - totalled 7,843, the drop in sales reflecting a 9 per cent downturn across the US sector of motorcycles over 500 cc. Spain also performed strongly with 2,444 motorcycles sold in 2018, a growth of 8 per cent, with further growth observed in Japan, with 1,941 bikes (growth of 2 per cent), and Switzerland with 1,276 bikes, which grew at 2.2 per cent. The release does not specifically mention sales numbers in India, but in China, Ducati sales grew 29 per cent, where a new direct branch has been established, and the sales network has expanded from 19 to 23 dealerships.
