Geneva Motor Show Special: In Conversation with Stefano Domenicali

evo: Can you give us a sense of your plans for India

Stefano Domenicali: For sure India represents a very important market for us. You know that last year was very good for us. We are just entering the market so we need to be humble. Last year we sold 28 cars and it is a growing market. So we see a lot of potential. Things also depend on when we’re going to have the super SUV ready for the market. One of the most important aspects for us to consider for our customers is the arrival of proper facilities, which includes the roads on which to drive these cars or a place where you can really enjoy these cars. This of course won’t be an issue with our super SUV since that car you’ll be able to take anywhere in any conditions. All in all India remains an important market for which we already have a lot of attention. We already have three dealers in the country now and are planning to have a fourth one very very soon even though we haven’t decided on a location yet. But it’s important to present the brand in the proper way.

evo: What makes Lamborghini so aspirational as a brand?

Domenicali: The good vibes around Lamborghini exist around the world. I would say that in India people are very active in understanding who we are. They know our brand is cool, especially the young people. This is something very interesting because if you look at the Millennials or the teenagers, most are not very interested in cars. They see cars are an answer to mobility needs. But we are not cars. We are not even supercars. We are Lamborghini. We are selling an emotion. We are selling something unique. Something cool, with a very strong and positive personality. You want to be recognised when you drive a Lamborghini. All these elements are very important for us because these are the reasons why we are present in the world of the teenagers, in that aspirational zone.

evo: In India you comfortably outsell Ferrari. Is that the target for you or do you want to extend that gap?

Stefano Domenicali: You know I have worked for Ferrari for 33 years and I have a lot of respect for that brand. They are a reference for all of us. You must respect your competitor because they can also be a source of inspiration. It is not a matter of outperforming. For me, if you’re presenting the right image and the right products then the performance will come naturally. The main goal for us is to have the right product, the right image and the right positioning. This is what we need to do and this is what we are focusing on.

evo: Sergio Marchionne said that a lot of people are buying Lamborghinis because the waiting list for Ferrari is very long…

Domenicali: I don’t know. He’s the boss of Ferrari. But honestly, you know, we have good customers. Maybe our strategy with the supersport car is related to the fact that we don’t want to push volumes. We want to keep the volume under control. We will never go higher than 3,000 units annually. That’s the limit. When the market is very strong it is easy to be tempted to make more but the challenge is to find out what’s the limit. Last year we could have easily done 4,000 cars but if we dilute the exclusivity of our numbers then we will have a problem with the value of the products. We have to make one less than what the market wants and the value will go up. We have taken that decision and we will go with that.

evo: You earlier spoke about the potential of the Indian market. Last year you sold 28 cars in India. How big do you think that market can be?

Stefano Domenicali: I think the market can easily grow to 40 or 50 cars by 2019 or 2020, realistically speaking.

evo: How important is motorsport now for Lamborghini?

Domenicali: Motorsport is an important part. As you know we are only working with the customer racing teams at the moment.  And also with our Super Trofeo Race. That’s been a great success last year and we are also going to create a similar platform this year. Then we will see if there is any need to do anything more in the future.

evo: What about prototype racing?

Domenicali: I don’t think that will be possible.

evo: Single seaters?

Domenicali: No. I don’t think so. Not right now anyway. We need to be humble and invest in the products that we need. The other thing about motorsport is to take on the right challenge. I don’t want to go into a situation where we face competition without even the ability to be competitive. At the moment we are going very well with our action plan. There is no need to change it. We need to consolidate.

evo: Is it important to have an Indian driver in your racing programme?

Stefano Domenicali: I believe that it is important to connect the nationality with the programme but we’re still at a stage where we need to focus on really which are the best drivers that we can take.

evo: In a market like India, where not everyone has the resources to own a Lamborghini car, accessories and apparels become an entry point into the brand. Are you looking at that?

Domenicali: We already have a line of products that ensure that the Lamborghini lifestyle can be accessed even if you can’t buy the cars. It’s not there in India yet but we are going to bring that very very soon.

evo: How important is pricing for Lamborghini? For instance, in India the gap between the R8 V10 Plus and the Huracan is not much and that’s why the R8 hasn’t taken off while the Huracan is the best seller in that segment. So is pricing a key part of your strategy?

Stefano Domenicali: It’s important for sure. We are not living alone. We need to meet the benchmarks of the others. So it’s one of the parameters for sure.

evo: So do you monitor the R8 and what the other cars are doing?

Domenicali: We monitor all the cars in our segment and sometimes it is difficult to say that is the only element to consider because you don’t buy a Lamborghini only for its price. But pricing decides the positioning of the car.

evo: When do you move to turbo?

Stefano Domenicali: With the Aventador it is not going to happen. At least in the short run. With the Huracan it is possible but again not in the short term. We need to explore what is the maximum that we can do because these are values. In fact, the first thing our customers said to me when I moved to Lamborghini was “please don’t touch the V12”.