In crisis, Volkswagen is considering selling part of Lamborghini and getting rid of Ducati

The Volkswagen Group is studying to go public with Lamborghini on the stock exchange and is considering selling Ducati as a way to raise funds to finance the biggest restructuring in its history. The information, revealed by the Financial Times, indicates that directors of the German group have again defended the two operations. In the case of the super sports car brand, the company would maintain control through Audi, putting only shares up for sale to the public.

The discussion comes as the automaker prepares a package that could include cutting up to 100,000 jobs and ending production at four German plants — Hannover, Zwickau, Emden and Neckarsulm. The plan is expected to be presented to the supervisory board on July 9. What would have reheated the talks was the sale of the majority stake in Everllence, an industrial engine business that is expected to earn Volkswagen about 7.4 billion euros.

Lamborghini is now one of the few brands in the group that remain in the black. In the first quarter of 2026, it recorded an operating profit of 200 million euros and a margin of 23.1% – one of the highest in all of Volkswagen – with 2,620 units sold. Bloomberg Intelligence estimates the brand value of Sant’Agata Bolognese at more than $22 billion.

In this scenario, an initial public offering would allow the automaker to raise capital without giving up control, repeating the strategy of Porsche’s IPO in 2022, which raised 9.4 billion euros. Lamborghini has belonged to the group since 1998, when it was bought for about 110 million dollars.

Ducati, on the other hand, appears on the list as a candidate for a sale, and not for an IPO. The motorcycle manufacturer had an operating profit of 7 million euros in the first quarter, with a margin of 3.5%. Acquired by Audi in 2012 for about 909 million dollars, the brand had already been considered for sale in 2017, a plan abandoned at the time.

Volkswagen has neither confirmed nor denied the rumors. In a statement, it said that all its brands need to undergo a profound transformation and that the current business model no longer works, without commenting on internal and confidential documents.

Analysts heard by the Financial Times consider it unlikely, however, that the group will get rid of consistently profitable brands. The universe of buyers for an asset valued in the tens of billions is small, and workers’ representatives on the board have barred similar sales in the past — in 2021, the automaker turned down an $8.8 billion bid for Lamborghini. Still, Bugatti’s departure, passed on to Rimac, shows that the group does not rule out cutting ties with high-performance brands.