In India, young revving up demand for Lamborghini: Stephan Winkelmann
Young, aspiring Indians are among customers driving volumes at Italian supercar maker Lamborghini, which posted record sales last year, global chief executive Stephan Winkelmann told ET. Its signature, wedge-shaped sports car is one of the fastest production vehicles available to the seriously wealthy and the marque is seeing demand not only from buyers in the country, but also Indians in the US, Europe and Southeast Asia, where they have second homes, he said.
Winkelmann, on his first visit to the country in 10 years, said the improvement in India's infrastructure has «surprised» him. He's also excited that women are increasingly gravitating toward the brand, even in India.
The consumer mood in the country is buoyant and if the tax regime continues to remain stable, opportunities to expand sales are robust, he said. «There have been a lot of changes and in terms of infrastructure — this is striking immediately. And for sure, also in our type of business now; the car industry has exploded,» he said. «We think that everybody is in the right place to do business and we have grown as Lamborghini, which is very positive… I think we're very well-positioned.»
The size of the automotive super luxury segment is about 1,000 cars a year, he said. Its primary rivals in India are Ferrari, McLaren and Aston Martin.
The taxation structure has remained stable in the last five years. Like in the rest of the world, there is also a drop in the age profile of those acquiring luxury brands. The awareness of buyers is also
