We sat down with Stephan Winkelmann, the charismatic CEO of Lamborghini, during the recent inauguration of a brand new Lamborghini showroom in Delhi.
When you launched the Squadra Corse in Frankfurt recently, you said that Ferruccio Lamborghini didn’t believe that Lamborghini should go racing, but now it’s the right time – what makes this the right time?
Times change. Ever since I’ve been at Lamborghini, we’ve been waiting for the right time to start motorsport activities. So, after we face-lifted the Gallardo in 2008, we started the Super Trofeo one-make series in 2009 in Europe, and then two years ago we started it in Asia, and this year in North America. I think it’s important for the brand in terms of recognition. We are a super-sports car brand. So, if you look at our cars, when they’re stationary they look faster than when other cars are speeding on the racetrack. Another reason why we’re going into GT3 racing is because these cars look almost the same as our road cars. So, we think GT3 and the one-make racing series is exactly the right positioning for us. More-and-more customers want to go onto the racetrack, so we’re also organizing different types of activities, which start from safety driving schools – because it’s important to know the car better. Even if the cars are very easy to drive, you have to get used to the speed and the braking. From safety driving instruction, we can go all the up to very skilled race driving schools. This is part of our brand, and this is really helping us in terms of awareness and image.
This year, you’re looking at about 20 units in India – what’s the potential that you see in the Indian market?
I have a difficult time to forecast this I have to admit. There is a lot of potential, as there are a lot of high net-worth individuals here – and this segment is rising dramatically in India. The potential for real growth, though, will come when it becomes easier for people to drive these cars on the roads. The traffic and road conditions are challenges for super-sports cars. I remember the first time I came to India, it was very different – so, there has been a huge effort made, but the taxation is not helping us. We hope that, in terms of taxation and infrastructure, things will be easier in future. So, while we don’t see the demand going into three-digits anytime soon, 30-40 cars is an opportunity that we see for ourselves.
The super-sports car market is very disconnected to the normal car market. I am not saying that we are immune to recessions or economic downturns, because we were very badly hit in 2009 – more so than the rest of the industry, because buying one of our cars is a very emotional decision. Yet, we are investing 20% of our turnover in R&D, which is key to our future success. This is a risk for a small manufacturer of only 2,000 cars, but you have to do it otherwise you’re just a nameplate without any content behind it.
We’re not aiming for the peaks. In the luxury business the key is always to sell less than demand – which is very different to the premium or the normal car business. What we’ve been doing for some time now, though, is to try and balance our presence as much as possible between the major regions – North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific – to have one-third sales in each region to be less dependent on a local crisis.
I have to say, on the other hand, Indian nationals do buy our cars perhaps more abroad than in India. We have a lot of Middle Eastern, Russian, and also Indian buyers who drive our cars in London for instance.
What is the profile of the Lamborghini customer in India, compared to elsewhere in the world?
It’s one of the youngest. It’s all men, unfortunately. Maybe, one day we’ll have some ladies driving Lamborghini’s here. And it’s first generation wealth, so it’s the self-made man who is very proud of what he’s achieved. The average age is between 30 and 40 – much younger than in Europe.
You said innovation was at the heart of Lamborghini, what’s the next step in terms of innovation for Lamborghini. And what about hybridization?
You will see pretty soon, because we will have the Gallardo follow-up coming up next year. If we speak about CO2 in general, there’s a balance that you have to maintain between the demand from legislators, the demand from the market, and the DNA of the brand. Ours is not a car that you would drive from A to B on a daily basis. It’s a car that you use on the racetrack, you use sometimes during the weekends – so, the average mileage driven is very low compared to a normal car. There is a different destiny for these cars compared to a normal car. But, with that said, it’s clear that we have an ethical, social, and environmental responsibility, and we are doing the utmost to take care of this. For example, by 2015, we will have a CO2 neutral plant at Sant’Agata Bolognese.
On the cars, we are looking at three main things – one is friction. Friction is resistance, and resistance means consumption. The second one, which is key for the handling of a super-sports car, is light weight, and the third one is the engine. We are strong in naturally aspirated engines, and this is the essence of our brand. As long as these cars fit perfectly, we will continue. There might be a day when we say it’s time to change. It’s clear, whether it’s a turbo or hybridization, this could be a good move for the third model – which has another way to be marketed. Yes, it will be a Lamborghini – it’ll be the Lamborghini of its segment – but its not just a weekend car, it’ll be a daily driven car. So, this could be an opportunity for us.
What is your take on cars like the BMW i8?
There are brands that fit well with electric cars and hybrids. There might be a time for us as well, but we have to decide when is the right time to step into it. Our cars are very emotional, and the sound is part of this emotion. The engineering is part of this tradition, and also the innovation – because we do a lot of innovation in our engines. Therefore, we always have our own road – we’re not looking at what the others are doing. There might be a day when we say it’s time to change.
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