Ducati shows off new Scrambler, Panigales, Multistrada as 2018 lineup grows

As a demonstration of that, Ducati arranged a "World Premierè 2018" event, presenting all of four its new motorcycles set to be added to its 2018 portfolio.

The first bike of the four is the Scrambler 1100, which will be also offered in Special, Sport, Mach 2 and Street Classic versions. It was followed by the 959 Panigale Corse, a new twin-cylinder sport bike. Another Panigale version was the V4, which Ducati says is extremely close to a MotoGP prototype bike. The V4 was ridden to the stage by Casey Stoner.

In addition to these three bikes, Ducati presented the Multistrada 1260, which has a new 1262cm3 Testastretta engine with DVT, or Desmodromic Variable Timing.

As Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali said, there have been eight consecutive years of growth up to 2017. "Ducati is a global brand with a solid Italian core ... We're a 1,600-person orchestra. We've come a long way." Domenicali added: The year 2017 will, in fact, be the best in our history, the culmination of eight straight years of growth. With these latest bikes in the 2018 range we aim to continue the "symphony" that stems from a team effort in which all members of the 'orchestra' interact in perfect harmony, each providing individual excellence to breathe life into our fantastic motorcycles."

Whew. It should be quite a year for Ducati.