In conversation with Sharad Agarwal, Head of Operations, Lamborghini India

Lamborghini is synonymous with the word supercar and the brand’s sales numbers in India are no slouch either, especially with the success of their Super SUV – the Urus. It wasn’t as if Lamborghini India needed a product that would make the customer go ‘wow’, the supercar lineup which includes the likes of the Huracan and the Aventador has made sure of that. But the Urus has opened up the Lamborghini brand to a newer set of customers, and with the Super SUV having celebrated its fourth birthday recently, we had a conversation with Sharad Agarwal, Head of Operations, Lamborghini India.

Apart from delivering an Urus almost every week last year, Lamborghini India has just hit the 300 car milestone and Sharad emphasises that this takes time. And to ensure that more buyers get into the fold, Lamborghini is hosting unique customer experiences, with Lamborghini Day being a key example. “We want our customers in India to enjoy their Lamborghinis in the Indian environment,” stresses Sharad. “Customers used to say, ‘I want to buy a Lamborghini, but where do I drive and enjoy this car in India?” And that’s how the Lamborghini Day came to be, to get customers to experience their own cars on some of the nicer roads in India. Participants are encouraged to experience their Lamborghinis to the fullest and for many customers, events such as these are the first time they’ve properly used their Lambos. Sharad tells us that, “Customers have come back and said ‘I never drove 600- 700 kilometres in two days, I never imagined that I can drive my Lamborghini so much!’”

Curating “unique experiences” is at the core of events such as these, says Sharad. “In India the super luxury segment is in its infancy and we need to differentiate the ownership experience of a Lamborghini vis-a-vis the rest of the world.” A key differentiator for Lamborghini is exclusivity. Only Lamborghini owners are invited; even if you are on the waitlist you only get invited after you take delivery of your car. No prospects. In fact some owners tell me that while they might buy other cars from other brands they will always keep a Lambo so that they get invited to Lamborghini Day events. That’s the draw, the quality of the guest list, the networking opportunities, and of course the experience. “Buying a Lamborghini is not something which they suddenly decide on one day. It is something which they long for, for years, and when they reach that milestone they don’t buy a Lamborghini, they buy their own Lamborghini which is personalised for them,” says Sharad. “A customer has to wait between 9 and 12 months. This year, we delivered the 100th Urus and we are doing very well with our sports cars,” he adds.

The average customer age is also dropping. “Between 25- 45 (for sports cars) and with Urus it has gone up to 55.” And there are women Lamborghini owners too. All adding up to 300 Lamborghinis delivered until date. Sharad has his target set on delivering, “100 Lamborghinis a year in this market. That’s the next step. Today, 1 out of every 4 cars in the super-luxury segment (above Rs 2 crore) is a Lamborghini, so we are very very strong in that segment”. Sharad reminds us that, “the size and the potential of this country is much bigger than what we sell here”. The Lamborghini head also adds that “the southern markets are stronger than the rest of the country. We’ve been constantly growing in this market, our car park is very, very strong, the customer loyalty and satisfaction is very high. One of the key aspects is how our dealers are able to connect and build a relationship with the customer, because building a long term vision about the super-luxury business is not easy.”

Of course a large part of Lamborghini’s successful innings in India is spearheaded by the Urus and its ability to be a road-rocket that you can take to the farmhouse, in addition to the bespoke customer experiences that the brand continues to curate. It also means that Lamborghini India has been able to tap into India’s growing base of enthusiasts – because supercars delivering the sales numbers, who would’ve thought!