'There's no entry level Ferrari' - Ducati's Head of Design reasserts the brand's premium status

Ducati have been incredibly busy this year. Not only did they dominate the MotoGP and World Superbike championships, but they’ve also been methodically drip-feeding new motorcycles into their range since the middle of September.

From three new Scrambler 800s, to a 166.3bhp Diavel V4, and even a new 237.2bhp Panigale V4 R – designed to blast Bautista to a second successive WSB crown in 2023 – the Italian factory lifted the lid on a total of six new bikes and model updates.

To discuss the new additions, MCN sat down with the firm’s Head of Design, Andrea Ferraresi, at the Milan show, who confirmed Ducati doesn’t plan to make ownership any more affordable any time soon…

“For quite a few years we have had this trend of introducing a big number of [motorcycles] per year,” said Ferraresi. “We keep moving between introducing what we call ‘focused products’, so for instance the V4 R or the Diavel, and then introducing something new to enlarge our audience of passionate customers.”

Sticking with the Diavel V4, the £23,595 muscle cruiser arrived in late October – ditching the well-worn 1262cc V-twin motor of the outgoing Diavel 1260 and shedding a claimed 13kg.

The suspension was revised, as was the riding position, but conspicuous by their absence were the semi-active springs and radar cruise control – both featuring elsewhere in the range and expected on a bike of this price tag.

When asked if this would appear in a future S version, Ferraresi explained: “At the moment, it’s not forecast to have an S model, but of course we will see and decide based on the success of the bike.

What will appear in the coming years though are new Scrambler models, with Ducati effectively resetting the 800 range for 2023 – stripping back to three machines and quietly removing the likes of the Desert Sled and Urban Motard from the line-up.  

“On the previous generation, we started with a certain number of versions and then we replaced some of these with other versions,” the Ducati man said. “At the moment we think this is enough for a totally new product and then in the future we will add or replace some for sure, because this is our history.”

Following the changes to their range, Ducati’s cheapest model now sits with the £9995 Scrambler Icon – leaving some riders priced out of owning a slice of the Italian brand.

When asked if the company would take strides to attract a wider audience in the future with more affordable metal, Ferraresi added: “Actually no, because we want to move the brand up more. We are already a premium brand, and we are already on the top of the premium segment.

“We want to stay there and raise a bit. To do this, one of the most important things is to keep the entry price into the range at a certain level. We want to keep this price not lower than the Monster.”

He continued: “What to do with the young riders? We have the Scramblers which have a more affordable price. But there is no entry Ferrari, or entry Porsche, so you start with other brands and keep in mind Ducati and then as soon as you can, you buy a Ducati.”

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Return of the Desmo?

Back in 2007, Ducati stunned performance bike fans with their Desmosedici RR – a 989cc, 200bhp MotoGP replica like nothing else on the market. Its release coincided with the firm’s last MotoGP world championship victory with Casey Stoner.

When asked whether they would consider building another one to commemorate Pecco Bagnaia’s 2022 crown, Andrea Ferraresi said: “The idea is very fascinating, so who knows. This is not something that we want to forecast and plan. It would be nice.” I guess we’ll have to keep dreaming!