We've been hearing many rumors and reports of this over the past couple of months. Today, the rumor is that Audi has finalized the deal to buy Ducati for approximately €860 million or US$1.13 billion.

Businessweek and Reuters are reporting it too, with both citing people familiar with the matter. Neither Audi nor Ducati, have confirmed the reports.

The deal values the motorcycle maker at around seven times what it earned last year before interest, taxes and depreciation. They've got a debt of some €200 million (US$263 million) too.

Ducati will be the 11th brand in the VW Group's portfolio including cars like Seat, Bentley, Lamobrghini and Bugatti.

"The Ducati purchase is driven by VW's passion for nameplates rather than industrial or financial logic," Arndt Ellinghorst, analyst at London's Credit Suisse, told Reuters.

"It's an unnecessary sideshow to VW's main challenges of integrating sports-car maker Porsche and merging truck operations at MAN and Scania," he added.

Ducati makes about 40,000 motorcycles a year.