Lamborghini boss Stephan Winkelmann says the firm needs to transition to the “new world order” within the next decade, “without destroying the dreams of the customers”.
The German, who in 2020 returned to Lamborghini for his second spell as CEO, is heading up major changes at the firm, including overseeing its last combustion-engined model. Autocar caught up with Winkelmann to discuss his to-do list, the brand’s place during a global recession and future plans as it heads into the electrified age.
You were at Lamborghini for a long time, then left from 2016 to 2020. Now you’re back, does this feel like home?
“The longer you stay in a company, the more you get close to the company. With Lamborghini, it was love at first sight. So we could develop the brand, the products, the strategy in a time where you can see the results coming and you see the output of the input. This is giving you confidence – or not – but it’s giving you the value of the effort you put in. Lamborghini is easy to like.”
Do you prefer it now that you can focus 100% on Lamborghini (Winkelmann had a stint as president of Bugatti)?
“I have to say that Bugatti was an incredible experience. It’s a gem, this brand. And I think that we just started to do some of the things which were important, in my opinion, for the brand and for the model line-up. And I hope that everything they’re doing next continues to value the brand, but at the end of the day, the reality is that I’m back at Lamborghini. I love the job, and I have no wish to be somewhere else.”
What things remain on your to-do list?
“The biggest effort we have in front of us is the transition from the old world to the new world without destroying the dreams of the customers. This is the job for this decade until the beginning of the 2030s. It has to be done.”
What does Lamborghini mean to you with reference to electrification?