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Lamborghini’s Bold Vision: CEO Stefan Winkelmann Talks Growth and Strategy in South Korea

‘Lamborghini CEO Stefan Winkelmann’

“Lamborghini is a fresh and young brand in Korea,” says Lamborghini President Stefan Winkelmann.

Prior to the domestic launch of the Urus SE, Lamborghini held a video interview with automotive journalists from South Korea, Japan, and Australia on the 19th.

President Winkelmann expressed his gratitude to the journalists participating in the video interview.

“I am pleased to announce the best-ever record for Lamborghini. We showed a record delivery quantity of 5,558 units, along with operating income that led to 1 billion euros in sales in Europe, and over 450 million euros in operating profit. The Huracán is completely sold out, and its successor will be unveiled next month at Pebble Beach in the U.S. The Urus has also seen all production units booked until the end of 2025, and the Revuelto’s production is fully booked until 2027. All of Lamborghini’s lineup is driving sales, so we will finish this year on a positive note.”

Winkelmann revealed his confidence in Lamborghini’s transition towards electrification.

“The first hybrid, the Revuelto, has been released, and the Urus SE was showcased at the Beijing Motor Show. A successor to the Huracán will be introduced this summer. We aim to be the first super sports car brand to hybridize our entire lineup. This is part of our electrification strategy and represents significant progress.”

The automotive market is currently frozen. Sales of domestic luxury car brands have plummeted. However, Lamborghini saw a 7.1% increase in sales during the first half of the year, delivering 195 units compared to 182 units in the same period last year. This luxury automobile brand is thriving even in an economic downturn.

Winkelmann explained Lamborghini’s sales in South Korea.

“I believe the reason we can increase our sales even in a recession is due to the fact that we are perceived as a fresh and young brand by our South Korean customers, along with our diverse lineup. Furthermore, we have many young customers. In the case of the Urus, there is a particularly high number of female customers. This is thanks to the consistent love from Korean customers. With the support of our clients and fans, South Korea has become the seventh-largest Lamborghini market last year, and the eighth-largest in the first half of this year. Last year, Lamborghini recorded its highest sales in the country with 431 units sold since our market entry. This reflects the attractiveness of Lamborghini’s product portfolio and brand.”

I was curious about President Winkelmann’s perspective on the South Korean market. He expressed his views on this market and provided an optimistic outlook for the domestic market in the second half of the year.

“The South Korean market is very young for us. Brand recognition among customers is extremely favorable and high. We observe what other luxury brands are doing in the Korean market, where the luxury brand landscape is very stable. Therefore, I was not surprised to see positive responses to our brand. We always take a conservative stance on delivering vehicles to customers. For brand recognition and scarcity, we always aim to deliver one unit less than customer demand. I believe we are effectively conveying the characteristics that customers desire in terms of product, design, and performance. Our products meet the highest standards of what we define as supercars and the best standards in automobiles, which significantly contributes to our brand’s success in Korea. We expect similar results in the second half.”

The Urus has played a vital role in making Korea the seventh-largest market in the world last year.

“Ten years ago, when we first launched our business in South Korea, there were not many Lamborghini customers. We needed to create a Lamborghini world. We found good partners and established a strong model lineup. The launch of the Urus acted as a game changer in the high-performance market. This helped increase the number of Korean customers. The Urus has greatly contributed to enhancing brand awareness. South Korea is the country with the most notable economic growth, and I believe Lamborghini’s sales growth will continue here. The market for super sports cars and super SUVs is rapidly growing in Korea. There is a level of demand here that exceeds what we can provide. We are diligently monitoring this situation and plan to allocate more vehicles to the Korean market than last year.”

By Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr

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