Audi planning a small motorcycle/scooter for urban last mile mobility

German luxury car brand Audi created quite a few ripples when it took over hallowed Italian motorcycle maker Ducati. Now though, Audi could leverage the Ducati buy to build a small motorcycle or scooter designed for last mile mobility for its car owners. As more and more cars hit the roads across the world, city centers are increasingly getting crowded. In fact, many cities across the world have even been levying congestion taxes on cars to decongest roads in their central business districts. It is in such a scenario where a small motorcycle or scooter could make a bunch of sense for Audi.

Audi-Ducati illustration

The luxury car brand could sell its motorcycle or scooter as a last mile mobility option for customers who’d like something zippy and convenient for crowded urban spaces. Given that Ducati develops cutting edge motorcycles, Audi does have a ready source for design and technology for the small capacity motorcycle or scooter it intends to develop sometime in the future. The other angle to this story of course could be Audi wanting a pie of the two wheeler market, that is growing by leaps and bounds in many emerging markets.

That said, Audi wanting to build two wheelers aimed at the mass market looks quite unlikely at the moment. Also, Audi CEO Rupert Stadler, addressing Ducati’s workforce clearly emphasized that Ducati will retain its brand identity. So, the Audi two wheeler could simply use Ducati’s engineering expertise in motorcycle technology rather than picking up an existing Ducati product and rebadging it as an Audi. Apart from these initial details, not much remains known about the exact nature of the Audi two wheeler that could make its debut in future years.

When it comes to car makers developing two wheelers, Ducati isn’t alone. In fact, BMW has had a scooter for many years now and iconic sports hatchback brand Mini also showcased a two wheeled concept a while ago. Mercedes Benz’s Smart city car brand has also showcased a two wheeled concept. So, it seems like the Teuton trio have some definite plans to address the last mile mobility challenge with two wheeled options. Now that the pieces to the jigsaw puzzle are falling into place, we’ll keep a close eye on developments on this front. Watch this space.

Via Autocar.co.uk