- 2005 year of consolidation for Automobili Lamborghini ending in profit
2005 was an important year for Automobili Lamborghini in terms of new products and consolidation. Announcements last year included the production start of two new models at the Sant’Agata Bolognese plant, both equipped with Lamborghini permanent four-wheel drive: the Gallardo Spyder (5.0-litre, 10V, 520 hp) was subsequently presented at endof- year international motor shows to go on sale in the spring, and the new Murciélago LP640 (6.5-litre, 12V, 640 hp) will be unveiled for the first time at the impending Geneva Motor Show.
The company, headed by Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini, showed a strengthening in sales from 1,592 in 2004 to 1,600 units in 2005. Of these 1,071 were Gallardos and 529 Murciélagos, of which nearly half (250) were Roadsters. For 2006 Winkelmann expects a growth to circa 1800 units. By the end of 2005 and in just under three years, the Lamborghini Gallardo exceeded 3,500 production units to become the biggest-selling Lamborghini in history. This allowed the Bologna car manufacturer to realize in 2005, as last year, a turnover of 243 million Euro and to close for a second consecutive year with a profit: 4.4 million Euro (4.1 in 2004). In Sant'Agata, strategy also focused on strengthening Automobili Lamborghini's sales network to respond to the new 2006 production volumes, with worldwide representation growing from 67 dealerships in 2004 to 86 in 2005. Among the most important markets, the USA stands out (with 40% of Lamborghini sales) as well as Germany (10.3%). In particular, the increase in Lamborghini's home market was significant, with four dealerships now established in Milan , Rome , Padua and Bologna. In Italy last year 127 Lamborghinis were sold, with the market share increasing from 5% to 7.9%. For the House of the Raging Bull, Italy took third place in terms of performance car market share in 2005, followed by Japan with 7.8% and Great Britain at 5.1%.
Sant'Agata Bolognese, 23rd February 2006 |