Ducati to partner with Hero Motocorp?

A recent report has revealed that Ducati may tie up with Indian manufacturer Hero Motocorp to launch a series of low-displacement premium motorcycles.

Ducati are actually pretty late to the party. KTM has been having a phenomenal run in the global market with its compact Dukes and RCs which are made by Bajaj in India – and TVS and BMW have come up with three premium compact displacement offerings (TVS Apache RR 310, BMW G310R and G310GS) which are making waves in the segment. That’s not all, Triumph also has plans to develop a compact motorcycle in association with Bajaj, and even Harley Davidson has roped in a yet-to-be-revealed Asian two wheeler maker to help develop a small global motorcycle.

Given the fact that the other major Indian manufacturers are already partnered up with European brands, Hero Motocorp seems to be a natural first choice for Ducati. Of course, the Italians would take lead in R&D while Hero Motorcorp would concentrate on manufacturing. Ducati would take care of engineering and design of the powertrain, chassis, and other critical components while Hero would be responsible for manufacturing the bikes in India.