According to Automotive News Europe, VW is taking several steps to prepare for its Ducati, Lamborghini, and Italdesign brands’ spin-off.  VW has publically said that it is preparing to streamline its operations and focus on mass-producing electric cars.

Referring to Ducati, Lamborghini, and Italdesign, VW’s CEO, Herbert Diess, says some corporate restructuring is already in progress.

“We are working on our Italian legal structure.”

Diess said that the restructuring would make ownership changes easier.  While speaking to analysts, Diess said:

“We are, let’s say, bringing it into a legal structure where we could act.”

“It’s probably a bit of a slower process, but “it’s on our agenda.” – VW CEO Herbert Diess

Diess’s statements seem to support previous articles that Reuters has already published.  Reuters’ articles point to two sources who are familiar with the matter.  Those sources say that VW is drawing up plans for a potential spin-off or IPO of the brands.

The Ducati, Lamborghini, and Italdesign brands are being restructured.

VW’s CFO Frank Wittter said that efforts to streamline VW’s sprawling conglomerate structure are a “work in progress”.  But neither Diess nor Witter are saying when a decision could be made.

If VW is moving towards producing electric vehicles, then the selling off of powerful internal combustion engine brands would seem appropriate.  And the executives have said that VW intends to increase its planned investment in digital and electric vehicle technologies to €73B ($86B) over the next five years.

It appears that internal combustion is slowly becoming the red-headed stepchild of transportation manufacturers.  With those things in mind, the writing may be on the wall for Ducati and Lamborghini to have new owners in the not too distant future.

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