Lamborghini Boss Stephen Winklemann - is betting on India

The CEO of Lamborghini has had a great run though he took on the job in thick of the Covid pandemic in December 2020. In 2023, the Italian super car maker celebrated its 60th anniversary posting sales of over 10,000 cars for the first time. Last year also saw Lamborghini launch Revuelto: the first V12 hybrid super sports car, part of the company's ambitious EV programme that will see it go all-electric by 2028. We caught up with Winkelmann during his second visit to Mumbai

Back when the Volkswagen Group acquired Lamborghini in 1998, it did so from Chrysler-a name that might draw a wry smile from car afficionados-for about $208 million, adjusted for inflation. Over two decades later, the latest valuation for Lamborghini stands at a dizzying $8.1 billion.

The news, no doubt, must have made Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann proud. Born in East Berlin and raised in Rome, Winkelmann's schoolboy years seem to have echoed his future automotive career-starting off as a salesman for Mercedes-Benz in the early nineties before working with Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, and finally in 2005, Lamborghini. Germans tend to do well in Italy, it would seem.

On paper, what the company has accomplished since is nothing short of a miracle-with Winkelmann standing behind the success of modern classics such as the Aventador, the genre-defying Urus and now, the hybrid V12 Revuelto. Ten years after his first visit to India, Winkelmann has returned to one of Lamborghini's strongest emerging markets. In our conversation with the Lambo Boss at the group's Mumbai dealership, he spoke to us about electric vehicles, business outreach, and the thrill of orchestrating one of the automotive world's most beloved brands. Excerpts:

Man's World: The last time you visited India was about a decade ago. Do you see any difference in the Indian market today? Stephen Winkelmann:

Generally, India has moved ahead now in terms of infrastructure. The market size has improved dramatically, though our market is still a small market. It's a thousand-unit market and we're going strong with plus-100 units, and are therefore confident for the future, even if it's a market which has a lot of opportunities.