2009 Lamborghini Gallardo Lp560-4 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Lamborghini CEO Stefano Domenicali talks doubling production and saving the V12

Stefano Domenicali took over the reins of Automobili Lamborghini from Stephan Winkelmann back in February. A few of the most important decisions in Lamborghini history were made shortly before Domenicali's tenure started, like the green-lighting of the Urus SUV, so we jumped at the chance to speak to him about the company's future at Pebble Beach this past weekend. If you don't know the name, a little background: Domenicali's previous job was running the Ferrari Formula 1 team. So not only has he switched from Ferrari to arch-rival Lamborghini, he moved from a racing program to a supercar company that has historically been much less involved in motorsport. That being said, Domenicali has indicated he will stay his predecessor's course. Our interview is below. Alex Kierstein: We're here at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. You were judging this morning – what were you judging? SD: I was an honorary judge of category on elegance, on open cars. I had six cars, actually, 1911 to 1930 supercars, I would say. It's my first time here in Pebble Beach. My previous business [as director of Ferrari's Formula 1 team] I was always busy in that moment of the year. I say that I was impressed by the quality, the presentation, and the level of cars – and the people that are here. AK: And it's a great way to involve the owners. SD: Yeah. It is really super. I have to say that on top of this, I go home with a very, very positive [feeling], and on the other side, a big responsibility. Really, the comments, the things that came out during this weekend are extraordinary. That means that we have taken the right path that's the future. Now is the time where we need to grow in the right dimension, with the right step, both from the technological point of view and the branding positioning point of view. Don't forget that in two years' time, when the new SUV will come, this will represent for us a new challenge ... Even if you can say that we had the LM002. We need to prepare ourselves, the network, the company, and this is what we are doing. For example, so far, in the Sant'Agata plant, we are building the premises for the new SUV. I can assure you that for sure on our side, the super sports car remains the key market. We will never take Lamborghini out of this segment. It's a niche of which we will never push on the volume approach more than the numbers [we expect to see at the end of the year]. It should be, touching wood, another record year.

Party sponsored by Lamborghini tried to airlift yacht into Austin lake for F1 race

This was the kind of understatement we didn't expect to encounter in the Lone Star State: on our way into Austin to attend the Grand Prix of the Americas, the man sitting next to us on the plane - an Austinite born and raised - said, "There's gonna be a lot of wealthy people here." You know, as if Texas didn't have its fair share already.
Wealthy people need wealthy things to do and not-as-wealthy people to arrange such things for them. Case in point is My Yacht Club, which follows the Formula 1 parade and other rah-rah events around the globe, hosting guests and parties on yachts. In Austin the event group has had to change its schtick; there's no way to navigate one 150-foot motor yacht into Austin's Lady Bird Lake. MYC principal Nicholas Frankl told KUT News, "We spoke to the Army Air Corps. They couldn't lift it." We believe he meant the Army Corps of Engineers, but no matter, they couldn't lift it either.
So MYC has switched to a land-lubbers venue, The Long Center where Ballet Austin, the opera and the symphony perform. In case you readers are worried about how guests will manage without chiseled Italian deckhands in epaulets, not only has Frankl promised that "the elements of decadence and luxury and coolness and exclusivity are all there," guests will get to guzzle 24-karat gold-infused champagne. Because the stars at night just aren't as big and bright without it, obviously.

World's largest Lamborghini dealer is in Dubai, because of course it is

Dubai is a place where supercars are so common, even the police drive them. So it's not at all surprising that Lamborghini would open its largest dealership ever in the city. The dealer is three stories tall and has over 19,000 square feet. That's a lot of space for cars, and according to Lamborghini's CEO, Stefano Domenicali, that space is needed, and perhaps other dealers will need to expand. In the release announcing the dealership's opening, he says Lamborghini expects its overall sales to double when the Urus launches this year. This will require more sales and service space. The Dubai Lamborghini dealer isn't just sales and service, though. In the photos above, you can clearly see that a large portion of real estate is dedicated to selling merchandise. Among the trinkets on sale are shirts, hats, keychains, mugs, and model cars. So regardless of your net worth, this dealer has something for you. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.