Volkswagen's Audi Unit Eyes Ducati Acquisition - Sources

Audi AG (NSU.XE), the luxury auto-manufacturer owned by Volkswagen AG's (VOW.XE), is considering the acquisition of Italian motorbike maker Ducati and could make a final decision by the end of April, two people familiar with the matter told Dow Jones Newswires on Monday.

A spokesman for Audi said the company "generally doesn't comment on speculation".

Ducati, best known for its premium and professional racing bikes, declined to comment.

Last month, the owners of Ducati, which include BS Private Equity and Hospital of Ontario Pension Plan, confirmed that they are considering an initial public offering, or IPO, in Hong Kong for the Italian motorcycle maker in the second half of the year though they would consider a sale to a single buyer if the price was right. They expect the business to fetch up to EUR1 billion.

Volkswagen Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn earlier Monday sidestepped questions about a possible interest in buying Ducati during a press conference.

-By Christoph Rauwald, Dow Jones Newswires; [phone]; [e-mail]

(Rosario Murgida and Zofia Bakowska in Milan contributed to this article)