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VW has received several tentative bids for Ducati

Italy's Benetton family is vying with motorbike firms and buyout funds for control of Italian motorcycle brand Ducati, which is being sold by Germany's Volkswagen, sources involved in the process told Reuters. Volkswagen, whose Audi division controls Ducati, has received several tentative bids with the Benetton family's investment vehicle Edizione Holding valuing the Monster motorbike maker at $1.2 billion, one of the sources said. As well as Edizione Holding, U.S. buyout fund Bain Capital, which owns a stake in Ski-Doo snowmobiles maker BRB, and two Indian motorbike firms, Eicher Motors and Bajaj Auto, have also bid for Ducati, the sources said. Indian carmaker Eicher controls Royal Enfield, a motorcycle brand established in 1893 which ranks as one of the oldest. Strategic bidders also include U.S. automotive firm Polaris Industries, which earlier this year said it would wind down its struggling Victory Motorcycle brand. A shortlist of bidders for a second stage of the auction could be selected as soon as Saturday, two of the sources said. Volkswagen adviser Evercore has a long list of bidders including private equity funds such as Ducati's previous owner Investindustrial, CVC Capital Partners, Advent and PAI, all hoping to outbid industry players, the sources said. If it gets to the second round, Edizione Holding could seek to form a consortium with a financial investor, two of the sources said, in a bid to secure control of Ducati, whose racers have won the Superbike world championship 14 times, with Carl Fogarty and Troy Bayliss its most successful riders. Audi, Edizione Holding, Investindustrial, Advent and PAI declined to comment, while the other interested groups were not immediately available for comment. PRICING CHALLENGES For some buyout funds, Ducati's valuation of up to $1.4 billion – which sources said is based on a multiple of more than 10 times its core earnings of roughly 100 million euros – is a tall order as they lack the synergies that some motorbike makers could achieve. But Investindustrial founder Andrea Bonomi, who sold Ducati to Audi for about 860 million euros in 2012, is serious about a comeback, one of the sources said. China's Loncin Motor was among a group of industry players that initially showed interest in Ducati, alongside Harley-Davidson. The latter has, however, decided against making a bid due to Ducati's price tag, while it could not be established if Loncin Motor had carried on bidding.

Autoblog Podcast #389

Episode #389 of the Autoblog podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Chris Paukert, and Mark Pereira from Autoblog Canada talk about Johan deNysschen's move to Cadillac, rumors of more BMW nomenclature changes, a second generation for the Subaru BRZ, and cars from 2004 that we miss. We start with what's in the garage and finish up with some of your questions, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Check out the new rundown below with times for topics, and you can follow along down below with our Q&A. Thanks for listening! Autoblog Podcast #389: The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience. Topics: Johan de Nysschen moves to Cadillac BMW model designations changing even more Subaru BRZ getting second generation Cars We Miss In the Autoblog Garage: 2014 Ducati 899 Panigale 2015 Hyundai Sonata 2015 Volkswagen GTI 2015 Chevrolet Silverato 2500 Diesel Hosts: Dan Roth, Chris Paukert, Mark Pereira Runtime: 01:59:10 Rundown: Intro and Garage - 00:00 Johan deNysschen - 36:12 BMW Nomenclature - 53:58 BRZ - 56:27 Cars We Miss - 01:05:07 Q&A - 01:30:09 Get the podcast: [UStream] Listen live on Mondays at 10 PM Eastern at UStream [iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes [RSS] Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator [MP3] Download the MP3 directly Feedback: Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show in iTunes Auto News Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Podcasts BMW Cadillac Chevrolet Hyundai Subaru Volkswagen

Recharge Wrap-up: Chevy bi-fuel Silverado 3500HD Chassis Cab, VW Car-Net works with Apple Watch

Volkswagen's Car-Net app will be compatible with the Apple Watch. Using the app, owners will be able to lock and unlock their car, check charging status or fuel level, locate their car, flash the lights, and honk the horn of their vehicle remotely from their wrist. E-Golf owners can begin or end charging or operate climate control through their Apple Watch. The app can also monitor other household drivers with speed and boundary alerts - perfect for the parent who lends their car to a teenager. Read more in the press release from Volkswagen. Chevrolet is launching the bi-fuel 2016 Silverado 3500HD Chassis Cab. The work truck will now offer a version that will run on both gasoline and compressed natural gas (CNG). "CNG burns cleaner and costs less at the pump than gasoline, making it an appealing option for fleets," says GM's Ed Peper. Companies like Southern California Gas Co. find that trucks like this meet their work needs and help them achieve their goals of greening up their fleets, GM says. Read more in the press release from GM. UPS has made a deal to buy renewable natural gas from Clean Energy Fuels. This make UPS the biggest user of natural gas in the shipping industry. Clean Energy Fuels, co-founded by T. Boone Pickens, will provide UPS with its Redeem brand natural gas, which uses methane captured from landfills. UPS hopes to log 1 billion miles with its alternative fuel and advanced technology fleet by 2020. "Our rolling laboratory approach provides a unique opportunity for UPS to test different fuels and technologies," says Mitch Nichols of UPS. "Today's RNG agreement will help mature the market for this promising alternative fuel." Read more in the press release below. UPS BECOMES NATION'S LARGEST USER OF RENEWABLE NATURAL GAS IN SHIPPING INDUSTRY New Agreement with Clean Energy Will Help Grow Market for Use of Methane Gas from Landfills as Fuel Atlanta, May 5, 2015 – UPS® (NYSE:UPS) today announced it has entered into an agreement to purchase renewable natural gas (RNG) for its delivery vehicle fleet from Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (NASDAQ: CLNE). The deal signifies UPS's plan to significantly expand its use of renewable natural gas for its alternative fuel and advanced technology fleet. The company has a goal of driving one billion miles using its alternative fuel and advanced technology fleet by the end of 2017. Clean Energy Fuels, co-founded by T.