Audi have this evening confirmed the purchase of Ducati from private equity firm Investindustrial but the actual price, believed to be around £750m including debts, has not been released.

The German firm is holding Ducati up as the third pillar of its Italian business alongside Lamborghini and Italdesign. In 2011, Ducati sold 42,200 units, resulting in an 11% global market share, and generated revenues of €480 million at the best-in-class profitability.

“Ducati is known worldwide as a premium brand among motorcycle manufacturers and has a long tradition of building sporty motorcycles. It has great expertise in high-performance engines and lightweight construction, and is one of the world’s most profitable motorcycle manufacturers," said Rupert Stadler, chairman of the Audi board.

"That makes Ducati an excellent fit for Audi. The progressive control systems and special combustion chamber process of Ducati engines, their resulting sporty character, and Ducati’s extensive know-how in lightweight construction thus offer great potential for AUDI AG and the Volkswagen Group."

What all this means to Ducati's race department, Ducati Corse, is unclear. However, you can't argue with the way Audi's parent company Volkswagen have picked up the Seat, Skoda and Lamborghini brands and turned them into things that work and make money.

There will be the usual doom-mongers who will say, just because this is a car brand, it is the end. I think it might just be the beginning...