Lamborghini’s newest model in India, the Urus SUV, has been met with encouraging response as the model has been sold out for not just the first year but also until the second quarter of 2019. The SUV has allowed Lamborghini to bring new customers into its fold as nearly 70 percent of buyers are first-time owners of the brand. However, that has also brought along a unique challenge.
Lamborghini says its buyers that come from luxury car brands expect luxury car service and amenities, and it has had to prepare its service network accordingly. “We are enlarging our customer base, but it is also a huge challenge. They (Urus customers) are expecting a certain level of service because they’re coming from other luxury brands. So, for last few years, we have been developing our partners and our dealer network to cater to this clientele,” Matteo Ortenzi, Lamborghini’s new CEO for the APAC region, told Autocar India in an interview.
As a result, the carmaker is carefully implementing aspects such as quicker reaction time and even courtesy cars - for such customers who find themselves in need of a vehicle while their car is in service – into its dealer network, Ortenzi said.
With the Urus, Lamborghini aims to more than double its volumes in the next two years, Lamborghini India head Sharad Agarwal told Autocar India. “Factors such as more roominess, more everyday usability, better headroom and legroom helps us to convert the customers much faster,” he added.
In January 2018, Lamborghini launched the Urus in India at Rs 3 crore (ex-showroom), just a month after its global launch. The SUV employs a 4.0-litre, twin-turbo V8 that makes 650hp and 850Nm of torque.
In conversation with Matteo Ortenzi, CEO, APAC Region, Lamborghini
On the demand for special editions and limited editions in India
There is a huge complexity of markets within the APAC region. We always have the core base of our customers looking for the very special cars and this is true for India as well. The market was reacting very well when we had the Huracán Performante, and we are also getting requests for Aventador SVJ, the last version of the Aventador. So this indicates that there are passionate customers looking for the top of our range and this is something that we are going to accommodate.
On upcoming additional variants of the Urus
We are discussing how to develop the next cycle of the Urus and we will have different variations. However, at the moment the right engine is in the car, and I think this will grant us a right balance of performance for the short term.