Volkswagen Group Africa to handle Ducati’s retail operations in SA

Volkswagen Group Africa (VWGA) has officially taken over the local retail operations of the Ducati brand in South Africa, effective from January 1.

The announcement was made at VWGA’s annual media event in Kariega on Wednesday.

Ducati becomes the fourth brand in the group's South African portfolio, joining Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Audi and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. VWGA will manage the import and retail operations of Ducati motorcycles, parts and accessories.

“Ducati is a premium international motorcycle brand with a strong and proud heritage,” said head of VWGA sales and marketing Simphiwe Nghona.

“Over the years, it has built a loyal and passionate client base in South Africa, which our company is excited and looking forward to servicing from now on. We are confident that the current and future Ducati clients will positively benefit from our established sales and after-sales processes, as well as our dealer network.”

The company plans to integrate Ducati into three dealer locations: in Gauteng, the Western Cape and KZN.

The existing Gauteng retailer in Centurion will remain, while a new retailer in Cape Town — an existing Audi dealer — has been appointed. A retailer for Durban is still to be confirmed.

“We have set an ambitious growth target for the brand in its first two years of full operations under the VWGA stewardship,” Nghona said.

“Our target is to achieve a double-digit market share in South Africa by the end of 2026 from the current market share base. The brand growth will be boosted by a range of exciting models which will be introduced in South Africa over the next two years.”

Tertius Cronje has been appointed to lead Ducati in South Africa. He has 24 years of experience in automotive retail, with 10 years of that in motorcycle retail.