Even though
the total number of Lamborghini cars sold in India is very small, this could
grow at a scorching pace once the Urus SUV is launched globally. But that would
have to wait till 2018.
In an
exclusive interview with Motown India, Sharad Agarwal, Head, Lamborghini India stated that given the
penchant of Indians for SUVs, the Urus could well have a multiplier effect on
Lamborghini sales in India. In 2016, it is reported the entire super
luxury car segment that comprises the likes of Lamborghini, Ferrari and Aston
Martin put together sold around 70 cars of which Lamborghini alone sold close
to 28 cars thereby grabbing a 40pc share of this segment.
The company launched the Lamborghini
Huracan Performante on April 7, 2017 in New Delhi and Agarwal told this
correspondent that the quota for this model has almost sold out.
Commenting on
the Urus SUV, he said, “Yes, it is a very important model for us and it’s going
to open a completely new segment of customers for Lamborghini. We are very
excited about the prospects of the Urus in the Indian market. India is a market
where there is more preference towards SUVs”.
He said that “Though
there are certain perceptions about the infrastructure we have in India, the Urus
is going to be the perfect product for us. While globally we are talking that with Urus, Lamborghini is
going to double its achievements over the 2015 sales, what we anticipate in
India is that the multiplier effect could be 2X or 3X and given the kind of
response we are already getting from our customers it could very well go up to 4X. That
is the level of growth this model can bring to us.”
In fiscal 2016-17,
Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. achieved new historic landmarks when the Italian
super sports car brand from Sant’Agata Bolognese increased worldwide sales by
seven per cent from 3,245 to 3,457 units. Sales grew for the sixth consecutive
year with turnover exceeding 900 million Euros. (Rs 6146 crore approximately). In
preparation for the market launch of the third model line (the other two being
Aventador and Huracan), the Super SUV Urus, in 2018 Lamborghini continued its
strategic investments.
All major
sales regions EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa), America and Asia Pacific set
new records and contributed to the sales growth. The USA remained the largest
single market with 1,250 units sold.
Starting from
2018, the Lamborghini SUV Urus will be the third model in Lamborghini’s product
range. The production facilities will increase from 80,000 to 150,000 m2 and
the production capacity will double to 7,000 units per year.
Meanwhile,
Agarwal pointed out that Lamborghini is the market leader in the super sports
cars segment in India. The segment, he said, has not grown to its full
potential in the last few years in India. “In fact it was declining from 2011
to 2014. In 2015 we saw marginal growth coming in. But 2016 was good and we saw
a healthy double digit coming back. We have also been growing consistently over
the years. While the segment sales were declining, Lamborghini was growing and
maintaining its leadership position. I
think it has been a very exciting journey so far, he noted.
He said when
it came to buying trends in India there has been a dramatic change in the
recent past. “Earlier we used to see that the demand for
these cars were concentrated in the metros. Now we see more and more demand
coming from tier 2 and tier 3 cities. Also, earlier we used to see the second
and third generation entrepreneurs coming and buying our cars, but today we see
young, first generation entrepreneurs coming and buying Lamborghini cars….In
2016 we saw the first lady buying a Lamborghini car in India. These are very
exciting trends for us. That is why India is a strategic market for future
growth and volumes for us,” he added.
Tier 2 and 3
cities where Lamborghini sold its cars included included the likes of Ludhiana,
Bhubaneswar, Coimbatore, Jaipur, Surat, Kochi and Lucknow.
On the new
Huracan Performante, Agarwal said, “There are many takers for this vehicle and
we are almost sold out for the year allocation. We are now looking as to how do
we get our slots of production from our headquarters so as to meet the demand
for the car in India….If it is possible within their framework, we do sometimes
get it, but it is not always given.”
As for the
practicality of driving these cars on battered Indian roads, the Lamborghini
India head said that while these cars look very low in terms of ground
clearance, they also come with a very good option which is called the lifting
system in the car. “That lifting system takes the ground clearance of the car
from 135mm to 175mm. This 175mm is as good as any car a customer uses for his
everyday use. There is absolutely no kind of limitation when it comes to
driving these cars on Indian roads. We also took this car to the highest
motorable road in Khardungla to showcase the capability of this car on any kind
of roads.”