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Business News/ Mint-lounge / Indulge/  At Lamborghini, we have moved on from the lows of 2009
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At Lamborghini, we have moved on from the lows of 2009

Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkleman talks about the current health of Lamborghini. Edited excerpts

Lamborghini chief executive officer Stephan Winkleman. (Lamborghini chief executive officer Stephan Winkleman.)Premium
Lamborghini chief executive officer Stephan Winkleman.
(Lamborghini chief executive officer Stephan Winkleman.)

After being taken over by Audi, sales increased nearly 10-fold over the course of the 2000s, peaking with record sales in 2007 and 2008. But after the financial crisis in late 2008, sales have fallen nearly 50%.

In 2011, Lamborghini delivered 1,602 cars, which already marked a 23 % growth on 2010, thanks to the good performance of the Gallardo and the introduction of the all new Aventador. This year, we forecast a double-digit growth, and already we exceeded the sales level of last year.

How is the financial health of the company now? Have you moved on from the lows of late 2008? Or are you also feeling the effects of a double dip in the world economy?

Nobody is immune to the economic crisis, and we too had to face hard times, but we never stopped investing in new products. Now this strategy is paying off, as the Aventador is proving to be a huge success.

Electric cars look like the future of automobile. What are your plans in that particular field?

We believe that power-to-weight ratio and weight reduction are the best way to achieve efficiency, while preserving the brand’s DNA. We are working on decreasing vehicle mass, improving combustion, reducing friction, start-and-stop systems, hybrid drive train solutions, biofuels, etc.

Many luxury car makers have end number of customization options. What all do you have in offer?

Lamborghini encourages a high degree of customization to the customer to create a unique car meeting his/her personal needs. Anything which doesn’t interfere with the DNA and structure of the car, or with the safety of the customer, can be looked at for. For example, the exterior and interior colours of the car, colour of stitches, any particular embossed letterings required, etc.

What is the next generation of tech in the automobile industry?

Carbon fibre reinforced materials still offer a wide variety of applications which are not yet fully exploited even in the super sports car segment.

Which are your biggest markets?

Our biggest market is the US followed by China.

Where does India sit in Lamborghini’s scheme of things?

India is a very important market for us in the Asian sub-continent. We have set up the national sales company to ensure that we are directly present in the country through our dedicated team. We expect India to contribute in our future growth story.

Throw some light on the recent controversy with Exclusive Motors. What’s your take on it? Have you got a new importer?

We are working to find a durable solution always bearing in mind the needs of our customers. We will let you know in due time.

As told to Pradip Kumar Saha over email.

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Published: 27 Dec 2012, 11:31 PM IST
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