Reporter Zhang Shuo reports from Beijing
"Although we couldn't choose the era we live in, looking back, I think that the past few years have been challenging, but very memorable, and my team and I are very honored to lead the company forward. Uncertain times also create unique opportunities, so I am honored to be at the helm of the company during this period. The person who shared this statement is Stephan Winkelmann, chairman and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini, who has been awarded the "Grand Officer Medal of Merit" by the Italian government for his outstanding performance, and has been at the helm of Lamborghini for more than ten years;
Following the unveiling of the Volkswagen Group Night, the Lamborghini Urus SE made its public debut at the 2024 Beijing International Auto Show (hereinafter referred to as the "Beijing Auto Show"). As the new generation of the Urus, the Urus SE – the first plug-in hybrid super SUV – sets new benchmarks in the segment in terms of comfort, performance, efficiency, emissions and driving pleasure with a new design, optimised aerodynamics, cutting-edge on-board technology and a hybrid powertrain with an output of up to 800 hp. Also on display were the Revuelto, the first High Performance Electrified Vehicle (HPEV) hybrid supercar, and the Huracán Tecnica, a rear-wheel drive supercar with a V10 engine, which was showcased in the Ad Personam Premium Personalization Zone.
Close the old map and start a new journey. Stephan Winkelmann, who was interviewed by China Business News and other media reporters during the Beijing Auto Show, said: "It is a pleasure to be able to present the latest achievements at this industry event. Twelve years ago, in Beijing, I presented the world premiere of the Urus Concept, creating a new segment of the super SUV model. As Lamborghini's third product line, the Urus has become one of Lamborghini's most successful models since its launch, confirming the company's forward-looking development strategy. Now, we're witnessing the evolution of this SUV. As the most powerful SUV on the market, the all-new Urus SE will continue its success story and mark another important milestone in Lamborghini's 'Direzione Cor Tauri' electrification plan. ”
Create a new generation of models that Chinese customers will prefer
China Business Daily: Lamborghini updated its electrification strategy at the beginning of this year to include the electrification of its models, and also released its fourth concept car last year. Under the global trend of electrification, how can Lamborghini, as an ultra-luxury supercar brand, ensure its competitive advantage?
Stephen Wincoleman: The Revuelto, which we launched last year, uses a hybrid powertrain that reduces CO2 emissions while increasing the vehicle's power and performance. This is an important model in our success story, and this solution will continue in the successors of the Urus and Huracán.
The previous generation of the Urus was already one of the most successful Lamborghini models, but how did you balance the development of the new generation with the need to maintain the existing style?
In terms of design, it is clear that the models have improved and changed, and the vehicles are more dynamic and elegant. And the new model has a larger screen, which is also preferred by Chinese customers. In addition, in terms of performance, the new car has a stronger power output, thanks to the cooperation of the engine and electric powertrain, it can achieve a combined output of 800 horsepower, and the vehicle has a top speed of more than 312 km/h.
China Business Daily: Lamborghini has achieved very good results in 2023, and you mentioned that this is related to the young people's advocacy of YOLO (an acronym for You Only Live Once, which means that you can only live once, you should live in the moment and do it boldly). Now that the special background is behind us, do you think this "buy what I love" attitude can still be maintained, and how will we continue to perform well in the future?
Stefan Wincorman: I think it's a new trend that's happening, and while our world is facing a lot of challenges, like all sorts of crises, the increase in the price of raw materials, the financial crisis and other problems, fortunately Lamborghini hasn't been affected too much by these issues.
For the future, we will continue to focus on brand building first, because brand has always been our core asset. Secondly, we will continue to develop better products, and our products must be able to win the hearts and minds of consumers, because many customers choose Lamborghini not only for transportation, but also to fulfill their dreams. In addition, many customers feel that our products are worth investing in, and at the same time, we have to balance supply and demand to keep the order library in a healthy state. Doing a good job in brand building, developing models with the most technological innovation and performance design highlights, and balancing supply and demand, I think if we can do these things well, we will put Lamborghini in a relatively safe position.
Strategic focus on polishing high-quality products
China Business Daily: Last year, we delivered more than 10,000 vehicles for the first time, and its turnover growth and profit margin also reached a new high. What do you think is the reason behind Lamborghini's success in terms of sales, finances and figures?
Stephen Wincoleman: We don't just want to sell cars, we want to be able to organize more experiences that customers can't buy with money, like creating brand campaigns to engage customers and want them to be relevant and engaged with our brand from time to time. The previous generation of the Urus was very popular in the Chinese market, and now that the new generation of the Urus has been officially announced, what are your expectations for the future performance of this new car in the Chinese market? We will not ask for more than the current situation, because the Urus model currently has a relatively stable customer demand in the Chinese market, and we want to maintain this uniqueness.
China is the world's largest automotive market, but not the world's largest ultra-luxury car market, so we look forward to further development of China's ultra-luxury car market in the future. Until then, we plan to keep it as it is.
China's electric vehicle market is growing rapidly. Lamborghini has always focused on performance and is in no hurry to expand its product line. But the Lamborghini concept Lanzador was also unveiled last year, so in the era of electrification, is Lamborghini considering changing its model lineup or opening up new market segments?
The fourth product line was also a big challenge for us, we used to have two supercar lines, and then we added the Urus to three product lines, and we did a lot of work on that at the time. Expanding to a fourth product line in the future will still require a lot of investment and effort, so we will focus on the next five years with the existing three product lines, as well as the Lanzador and the next Urus models.
We're going to do a lot of work in a very short period of time, and we're going to make all models hybrid, and then we're going to add pure electric products. It was a challenge for us and a huge effort, and we made the largest investment in the company's history. In the next five to seven years, we have no plans to expand our product line beyond the four models mentioned above.
China Business Daily: In the era of electrification, how does Lamborghini highlight its unique characteristics, and how does it achieve differentiation and uniqueness in electric models?
Stephen Wincoleman: We're going to continue to be unique and different, and we're going to do better. With the all-electric model, we will be unique in terms of software development and technological innovation. That's what we're looking forward to, and we're going to be developing and innovating in the next 4 to 5 years, and we're very excited about that.
China Business Daily: In China, there is a term called the year of ear shun, which describes that after the age of 60, everyone's mentality becomes peaceful. Now 60 years old, how can Lamborghini maintain itself and innovate in the face of a complex and ever-changing industry landscape?
Stephen Wincoleman: We have a clear strategy for the electrification of the Direzione Cor Tauri to lead the Lamborghini brand and its products into the future. While staying true to the brand's DNA, Lamborghini is always looking to the future. The Lanzador is a very important step forward, as it is a one-of-a-kind product that will also deliver strong performance to customers as an all-electric model. It will be a pure Lamborghini.
China Business Daily: Every time I hear at the auto show, I hear that there are a lot of customers at the booth who want to book cars, I would like to ask, how is the order status of the Revuelto, and when will it be delivered in China?
Stephen Wincorman: The average order wait time for Revuelto worldwide is 36 months, and the market feedback has been very positive, and the wait time is relatively long, so we're also trying to increase Revuelto's capacity and minimize wait times for our customers. The current Urus has been sold out, and the all-new Urus SE will go into production by the end of this year, with orders now almost covering production capacity in 2025. The current Huracán is also currently sold out, and the order system for the Huracán's successor will be launched later this year when the new model is launched.
(Editor: Zhao Yi Review: Tong Haihua Proofreader: Zhai Jun)