Lamborghini Automotive Focus
At the cutting edge
Manufacturing & Logistics IT, in association with Meet The Boss TV, presents a special interview with Stephan Winkelmann, president and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini, focusing on his own brand of leadership style, together with the current and future business and development roadmap of this iconic super car name.
the company’s original site in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy.
New launch
Lamborghini’s current models were very recently joined by a brand new addition to the family – the V12-engined Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4, which made its debut at this month’s Geneva Motor Show. The Aventador replaces the V12-powered Murcielago, the production of which ended last November. President and CEO Stephan
Stephan Winkelmann: “We want to stay the ‘bad boys’ and remain on the edge.”
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utomobili Lamborghini is a relatively young super sports car company. It was founded by Ferruccio Lamborghini in 1963, and within his short period of
ownership he created some of the most widely recognised icons within the super car marketplace; models like the 350 GT and the Miura sports coupé. Then followed other regular launches, including the Espada grand tourer built between 1968 and 1978, and the Countach mid-engined sports car from 1974 to 1990. Today, the company is part of the Volkswagen Group, although production continues to take place in a single factory at
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“… we still have high demand and a growing market in Asia-Pacific, especially in China.”
Winkelmann commented that the Aventador is “a jump of two generations in terms of design and technology”.
Of the Lamborghini brand in general, Winkelmann reflected on the founder Ferruccio Lamborghini’s original vision, saying that from the outset there was magic in the decisions he made: “He made an icon, the Miura, and today the Miura is still representing the brand,” he said. Winkelmann explained that one of the personal pleasures of being at the helm of the company is the luxury of living the dream. “I drive a Lamborghini on a daily basis; it’s one of the most exciting things I do
in the morning, and usually it’s one of the best things I do in the evening when driving home. It’s always a pleasure to sit in a car like this because it makes you proud, not only of driving the car, but of being part of Lamborghini as a whole.”
Uncompromising, extreme and Italian
He added that, as a brand, Lamborghini is uncompromising, extreme and Italian. “If we talk about the vision of what the super sports car is all about, it’s about design and performance. So if you have these key elements, it’s pretty easy to determine what the business is going to look like in the future, because these elements are not going to change.” In terms of product development, Winkelmann pointed out that, in addition to the work of the company’s strong R&D department, the Lamborghini board regularly meets to steer the direction and the future of the business. “The world is changing fast,” he said, “and we think that power-to-weight ratio is the key element for the future.” He added that performance has always been very important and will continue to be so; however speed has been number one, and is for many people. Acceleration is number two, and then comes handling.
However, Winkelmann believes this is going to change, or is already changing. “Handling is going to be number one in importance for the
March 2011
www.logisticsit.com
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