LAMBORGHINI v2:june09 25/06/2009 09:36 Page 103
MF. The future of this brand is in the focus of it. In the past we were a So what we wanted to create there was having a sort of sculpture; this was
technical oriented brand, and my vision of the future would be of be- totally design driven rather than technically driven.
coming a modern company. Modern company means also focusing or
having great focus on the customer. That does not mean that we will be Where do you look for inspiration?
influenced by the customer in the sense of design, so going to car clinic MF. Everywhere. We’re so fortunate living in a country like Italy where
and asking them, "What do you think of that?” how could we? Our ob- you can get so many inspirations. But as a global acting company, we
ligation is to surprise the people with the design, and to let them see have our ears and eyes open everywhere we go in this world. That’s a
how we realize the dreams they haven’t dreamt so far. So that is our ob- key prerequisite to do what we’re doing. We’re influenced heavily by
ligation as a luxury car manufacturer. other industries. I don’t think that just going along in the automotive in-
dustry would get you anywhere. Our life is moving at a very, very fast
How involved can a customer be in the creation of his or her pace; our lives are changing in a very, very fast way; the way we com-
car, and what does that sales process look like? mute, the way we communicate, the way we talk to each other is chang-
MF. To a certain extent, we have an individualization program. In the ing heavily. All that inspires us; all that we take up also as inspiration
past couple of years we could observe a trend where it was not about that for our future products.
what the Joneses have but what the Joneses don’t have. “I want to dif-
ferentiate myself from my neighborhood. If he has a Lamborghini, fine; How do you steward; how do you ensure that the brand is in
I want one, too, but it has to look different than his.” So therefore, we good hands when you pass it on?
came up with this individualization program where we give them I think MF. This is one of the greatest tasks I have. I planted a seed within
ample opportunity to individualize their vehicle. this company that everybody understands what it takes to realize a vi-
sion. It’s not only that because in 1999 when I took over, everybody
Your team famously designed the stunning Reventòn in just four had a certain vision of Lamborghini, what it should be, , and this is not
months. How have advances in technology in the software so- about me; it’s about somebody who has a vision. You have to be con-
lutions and science systems made that possible? sistent in your approach, you have to be also a bit stubborn, and don’t
MF. We have to look into the future in terms of design. We have here a get irritated by that what the people are thinking left and right of you.
totally non-normal process in the sense that my designers are able to do If you have a clear vision of what you want to achieve, you have to go
everything in 3D from the first sketch on. This means that we can cut cor- for it, and this is the message I want to pass on along with my col-
ners. We’re so fast that we get a package delivered and we work with the leagues, and this is one thing that Lamborghini has understood. No
package from the very, very first moment. matter what is out there, we have a clear idea of how we want to form
Much more interesting is the underlying process, which means we the future, and we want to be part of that. So we like to be in the dri-
work together hand-in-hand with research and development; it’s not like ver’s seat rather than in the passenger seat, and we want to create our
it’s in sequences where one gets something, then gets back, hand it over own future.
back to the other department, they say yes or no. It’s an integrated
process where we work hand-in-hand together with the research and de- How do you ensure exclusivity? How to you make sure that the
velopment. brand stays clean and safe, and that you keep that demand
going?
Lamborghini and is a very striking brand. Is it design led; are MF. Not being tempted to do anything out of the normal. We have a clear
there certain facets of the car that are the same regardless of strategy for the future, we will stick to that, and we will weather the times
the chassis, the solid steel work? that are out there right now. It is just about not being tempted to do some-
MF. It depends, and that’s always so exciting for each and every new thing erratic – there are temptations out there obviously, but it’s not char-
project. Sometimes we have this approach where it’s technically led, so acteristic of us to have some quick wins. We’re sticking to that what we
they say, “Okay, here’s your package, here’s your technical package, have planned, and I think the world can look forward to some great prod-
these are the parameters you have to respect, these are the limits in ucts in the near future.
which you can work,” and off we go. We also find other examples, like
the Estoque, the four-door. It was design driven, so engineers have to Manfred Fitzgerald has worked for Lamborghini for nine years, first
then come and say, “Okay, we’ll make this work,” and it really worked. as the Brand Director and now as Head of Design. n
100 Thousand Club 103
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