Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali has confirmed that the Italian motorcycle manufacturer will be introducing more motorcycle models with V4 engines. In an interview to British publication Motorcycle News, Domenicali has revealed that as many as 29 new Ducati bikes will be launched in the next five years, and the V4 engine platform will be used to enter new segments. While the Ducati CEO refused to divulge what these new segments will be, there will also be new versions of existing products among these 29 new models.
"We will continue to develop new versions of existing products but will also be entering segments that we are not currently in. As part of that, we will exploit the V4 engine in different platforms," Domenicali is quoted by MCN.
(The Panigale V4 R is the most powerful Ducati production bike ever )
Ducati has already introduced a new version of the V4 engine in the Panigale V4 R, which has a lower displacement of 998 cc, compared to the 1,103 cc V4 Stradale engine which puts out 211 bhp in the Ducati Panigale V4. The new segments could include naked, touring and adventure models, which will likely be the first V4 powered motorcycles to be offered in a wide variety of flavours. Ducati has already updated the new Panigale V4 R with a dry clutch. The Panigale V4 R's 998 cc V4 engine enables it to be homologated for use in the World Superbike (WSBK) championship which has engine displacement limited to 1,000 cc. The 1,103 cc V4 engine of the Ducati Panigale V4 doesn't qualify for competition in WSBK.
(Source: Motorcyclenews.com)
