The past 12 months will be remembered as a record year for Italy’s most flamboyant supercar builder but what has Lamborghini got planned to keep its customers satisfied in 2017?
For the first time in its 54-year history, Lamborghini has sold more than 3,400 cars in a single year. Even with China cooling as a market for the world’s most exclusive and desirable automobiles, Lamborghini managed to sell 3457 cars; that’s a 7% increase on last year’s sales and a 200%+ increase on sales as recently as 2010.
“In 2016 Lamborghini has proven to be in excellent shape,” said company CEO, Stefano Domenicali. “This new all-time high is once more confirming the substance and sustainability of our brand, product and commercial strategy.”
It’s phenomenal growth but with competition at the highest echelons of the automotive market at its fiercest for decades, how will Lamborghini maintain this momentum?
The first move is a complete refresh of the Aventador. After five years and 6000 unit sales, even a car with 700hp can start to seem stale.
So the new Aventador S will come with 740hp, a 0-100km/h time of 2.9 seconds and a 350km/h top speed. And for good measure, Lamborghini is also adding a new four-wheel steering system to complement its all-wheel drive.
Alongside the new Aventador, the company is readying a lightweight, more aggressive, track-focused version of its Huracán (in both hard- and soft-top form) that’s expected to make its debut in Geneva.
And while these supercars will keep the company’s oldest customers very happy, Lamborghini believes that the only way to continue posting record years is to move into the burgeoning SUV market with the Urus.
“[We are] preparing not only for new models in our super sports car range, but for a company-wide quantum leap in our product portfolio — the third model line,” said Domenicali.
The company is so sure that the Urus will be a hit that it’s spent most of the past year expanding its factory so that it can meet forecast demand when the car officially goes on sale in 2018. But expect to see the finished model much sooner, potentially at Geneva.
As well as being the most powerful and fastest production SUV in the world when it launches, Lamborghini has also confirmed that it will be the marque’s first turbocharged model and the first car in its history to offer a hybrid option.
