Ducati started out manufacturing specialized components for radios when it was first founded by the Ducati brothers in the early part of last century. Shortly after the end of World War II the Italian government took control of the company and eventually split the company up by separating the motorcycle and electronic divisions into two companies, Ducati Meccanica (now Ducati Motor) and Ducati Elettronica (now Ducati Energia).
The two companies are no longer connected in a legal way, but the ‘spiritual’ connection they share continues to this day. Both remain located in Bologna, Italy and Ducati Energia does manufacture electronic fuel injection (EFI) systems for motorcycles, including Ducati. This also manages to connect the Italian motorcycle industry directly to the Asian nation of India once again.
This connection becomes more and more important as the entire industry expands into the Subcontinent. Ducati Motor already has three retail locations in India, and there is pressure for them to build a factory there to supply the region. Ducati Energia has a very successful joint venture with local Kinetic Group called Ducati Energia India. That partnership was first for automotive EFI systems, but it soon turned to manufacturing high-spec motorcycle fueling and is the first and only such firm to do so in India.
Mahindra’s Two Wheelers division recently released the Mahindra Mojo which uses the Ducati Energia India EFI to provide petrol to the 300cc engine contained within. That unit also provides fuel-saving technology which meets the strict BS III/Euro III emissions standards. This is very competitive with the fuel systems which Indian bike manufacturers now import mostly from Japan. The Mojo is the first step to a much larger plan for expansion by Ducati Energia; if all goes well, they expect to be exporting their products to companies in all corners of the globe – Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America.
Ducati Energia continues the tradition of the Ducati brothers and the company they originally built. And, interestingly, the motorcycle and electronic groups who share the Ducati name are also taking similar paths into the world. They are proving that something created from passion can survive years of division, and even lackluster management at the hands of the state, to arrive at the pinnacle of their respective industries – even in parts of the same industry.
