Italian sports carmaker Lamborghini, part of the Volkswagen Group, expects India to lead its growth in the Southeast Asian markets in the future. The company grew 21% in India last year with sale of 71 units and believes the growth would be maintained in 2013.
?The Asia-Pacific region is becoming very important for Lamborghini worldwide. While the US and Europe make 28-29% of our total sales, the Asia-Pacific region contributed 35% last year,? said Andrea Baldi, the company’s sales manager, South Asia & Pacific.
?In Southeast Asia, excluding mainland China, the growth has been 46% last year.? The growth is predominantly driven by its Aventador range. Despite the strong growth potential that Lamborghini sees in the Asia-Pacific region, Baldi said it is not looking at a facility in this part of the world. ?We would continue to be an Italian manufacturer with one plant.?
The company is awaiting sanction from its parent, VW, of around 400-600 million euro for product development and doubling the size of the company. ?The decision was expected in December but got delayed. We expect VW’s word on it in the next three to four months.?
The money will be routed for Lamborghini’s new baby ? Urus, a sport utility vehicle concept ? that is scheduled for launch in 2017. The concept was showcased at the Beijing Auto Show last year.
On Friday, Lamborghini unveiled its Aventador LP700-4 Roadster in Mumbai. The booking for the car will start in February and carries a price tag R4.77 crore (ex-showroom Delhi). Overall, the super luxury car market in India stands at around 100 units per annum and is expected to remain stable for 2013.
Meanwhile, a possible tax on the ?super rich? after Budget 2013-14 is expected to impact the segment growth. ?We would see some impact with slowdown in the sales. But this would be short term and we are optimistic about the Indian market.?
