Multistrada 1260 Archives

Ducati Multistrada V4? Not Yet but A Ducati Multistrada 1260 GT with Radar Maybe Soon

A Ducati Multistrada 1260 GT with radar-controlled cruise control and safety systems ought to be unveiled soon.
The Ducati Multistrada V4 will probably appear in 2021, instead.
Ducati have filed the MTS 1260 GT with the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Sorry to cut your dreams short. The Ducati Multistrada V4 isn’t on the way – yet. However, a Ducati Multistrada 1260 GT with radar-controlled cruise control and safety systems ought to be unveiled soon.

Italian magainze Moto.it came across a filing to the US Environmental Protection Agency for a new Multistrada 1260 GT. Motorcycle manufacturers in the United States are required to announce their upcoming models for the agency to keep tabs on their emissions levels.

Being a GT (Gran Turismo), the new bike should be fully accessorized with all the touring accoutrements one can shake a stick at. Be prepared for large volume panniers and top case, auxiliary lighting (i.e. spotlights), possibly better seats in addition to other stuff on top of the MTS 1260 S Tour Pack option.

Please click here for photos of the test bike.

But the biggest news may be that the MTS 1260 GT will be equipped with radar-controlled cruise control and safety devices.

Ducati is already working on the technology for at least since 2014 and vowed to be the first in the market. Since the upcoming KTM 1290 Super Adventure is rumored to use the system as well, Ducati engineers will surely work overnight to keep their company’s promise.

The Bosch radar system may regulate the bike’s speed with traction control on in traffic. A rear-facing radar, meanwhile, monitors vehicle’s in the rider’s blindspots (like luxury cars) and warn of a fast approaching vehicle.

It’s rumored to also prime the brake system for emergency stops.

The MTS 1260 GT will likely be the last twin-cylinder model, with the MTS V4 appearing in 2021.

The details are due on 23^rdOctober 2019.

Ducati Panigale V4 was World’s Best-Selling Sportbike in 2018

The Ducati Panigale V4 was the world’s best-selling sportbike in 2018.
6,100 units were sold out of a total of 9,700 Panigales.
However, Ducati’s overall sales dropped 5% due to the slump in the American market.

Forget about the naysayers, the Ducati Panigale V4 proved to be the world’s best-selling sportbike in 2018.

In fact, Ducati was the leading sportbike manufacturer through selling 9,700 Panigale models. That figure corresponds to a 70% increase over 2017. Of those, 6,100 were the new Panigale V4 models. That is remarkable, considering the price of the bikes!

Hence, the Italian manufacturer now holds a 26% market share in the sportbike segment. Yes, 1 of 4 sportbikes is a Panigale.

On another hand, the Multistrada line-up also contributed to Ducati’s overall sales. 11,829 of the sport-tourers were sold in 2018. 6,569 of those were from the new Multistrada 1260 range – a 25% increase.

Unfortunately, Ducati’s overall global sales dropped by 5% to 53,004, which ended an eight-year streak of record sales. The reduction was due to the precipitous 9% drop in American motorcycle sales.

As such, America is no longer Ducati’s biggest market; handing over that title to Italy (4.5% up).

Other growing markets are China (up 23%), Spain (up 8%), Switzerland (up 2.2%) and Japan (up 2%).

The Italian manufacturer has 9 new models in 2019, all equipped with IMU-based traction control and cornering ABS. They are hoping the new bikes will drive up sales for the year.

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