[资讯-牛车网]
牛车网 News: July 24, 2020, at the 23rd Chengdu International Auto Show, Lamborghini Auto China, Hong Kong and Macau Executive General Manager Mr. Francesco Scardaoni was interviewed by Niutche.com and other media. This interview conducted in-depth communication on Lamborghini's product planning and delivery in the first half of the year. The following is the specific content of this interview.
Mr. Francesco Scardaoni, Executive General Manager of Lamborghini Automobiles Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau
1. How was Lamborghini's delivery in China in the first half of the year? Will the epidemic cause delivery delays?
At the beginning of this year, the sudden epidemic had a serious impact on Italy. In order to ensure the safety of its employees, Lamborghini decided to close its headquarters factory, becoming the first car manufacturer in Italy to close its factory. Since the shutdown lasted more than two months, it will definitely affect the timeliness of delivery.
Now, the production work of Lamborghini headquarters factory has been resumed, but because the supply situation of many suppliers in the supply chain has not been fully restored, the Lamborghini factory has not yet restored its full production capacity.
China is recovering from the epidemic very quickly, so we have applied to the Italian headquarters for priority scheduling of Chinese orders, and this application has also been approved. Now, the Lamborghini plant is expediting production by increasing shifts and arranging overtime to minimize the impact of plant closure. Now, the Lamborghini headquarters factory is constantly adjusting production plans based on the recovery of the supply chain. Therefore, at this stage, it is still too early to estimate the annual sales situation.
In the first half of this year, Lamborghini achieved a very positive market performance. The comprehensive order collection including Urus, Huracán EVO four-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive models was also higher than the same period in 2019. This is due to the trust and support of Chinese customers and media friends for the Lamborghini brand.
2. In the future, will Lamborghini in the Chinese market consider launching products with lower prices to attract more types of consumers?
will not. It is not Lamborghini's strategy to gain customers by adjusting prices, and Lamborghini's product prices have always been very stable. Lamborghini always believes that products equipped with innovative technological solutions that other brands do not have are the key to success. Product design, technology, features, and the lifestyle experience that customers get after buying Lamborghini are the core of Lamborghini's strategy. In addition, Lamborghini has cooperated with many brands and organized lifestyle events. Because Lamborghini is not only a manufacturer of super sports cars, but also a designer of experiences. Lamborghini is committed to infiltrating the brand spirit into all aspects of car owners' lives.
3. The epidemic has not yet completely ended. In the second half of this year, will Lamborghini launch a marketing support policy for dealers?
Under the current special market environment, Lamborghini will try its best to provide support to dealers. At the beginning of the outbreak, due to the travel restriction policy of the epidemic control, the lack of traffic in Lamborghini dealerships was greatly reduced. At this stage, Lamborghini introduced a series of policies to help dealers through difficult times. For example, in the case of guaranteed profit margins, dealers no longer need to complete sales targets.
In addition, Lamborghini hopes to help dealers tide over difficulties through a more active marketing strategy. Lamborghini has postponed or converted various offline market events originally scheduled to be held in the first half of this year to an online format. Under the premise of following the local government's epidemic control policy, since June, Lamborghini has resumed various offline activities in many places across the country, and has minimized the gathering of people by increasing the number of sessions and reducing the number of people per session. . Now, the schedule of many Lamborghini events this year has been re-adjusted, including auto shows, track driving events, ChinaGiro China Parade, and various dealer opening and listing activities.
Francesco S, Executive General Manager, Lamborghini Auto China, Hong Kong and MacauMr. cardaoni
4. With the launch of Urus, Lamborghini's customer base has gradually shifted to families and older consumers. How does Lamborghini balance further attracting young consumers and keeping existing customers?
With the listing of Urus, the average age of Lamborghini customers in China has risen to about 36 years old. Many brands are actively seeking young customers in China, but Lamborghini already has a large number of young customers in the Chinese market. They are far-sighted, like innovative design language and unique technology, which is what Lamborghini is very happy to see.
Lamborghini's market strategy is not only designed for niche groups, we hope to meet the needs of all customers. Every customer of Lamborghini is a brand ambassador and a member of the Lamborghini family. We hope to always maintain close communication with customers and create a truly exclusive Lamborghini community. In addition, even older Lamborghini owners have a young mentality. We hope to continue to design experiences through some lifestyle activities and bring more surprises to customers.
5. Lamborghini's hybrid models have been launched, so what plans does the brand have in the pure electric field in the future?
Last year, Lamborghini launched the first hybrid model Sián. This model uses a 48-volt light-hybrid system and a design that directly connects the motor to the gearbox, which minimizes the loss during power transmission. The handling experience of a super sports car is very important, and Sián’s battery unit has a weight-to-power ratio of only 1.0 kg/hp, and its output power can perfectly offset the impact of its own weight without affecting the vehicle’s handling performance.
Lamborghini always adheres to the brand's car-making concept and listens to the voice of customers. Lamborghini is currently the last super sports car brand that still insists on using naturally aspirated engines. This is also because Lamborghini owners hope to feel the ultimate response speed and surging passionate sound in Lamborghini models.
The pure electric technology at this stage cannot yet meet Lamborghini's requirements for the response speed and performance of super sports cars. Now, Lamborghini is actively researching and evaluating pure electric solutions. It has previously jointly developed the pure electric concept car Terzo Millennio with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The model has a number of patented technologies such as super capacitors and a body that can store energy. Now, the development of pure electric technology is very rapid. Before the pure electric power system can meet Lamborghini's demand for super sports cars, hybrid power will be the best transition solution.
6. Is it possible that Lamborghini's order volume this year will be the same as last year or achieve higher growth?
Five years ago, when I first joined the company, my dream was to make China the largest market for Lamborghini in the world. In 2019, China has become the second largest single market for Lamborghini in the world. Therefore, Lamborghini has high expectations for 2020. However, the sudden outbreak has forced the company and my personal strategy to make corresponding adjustments. Although the number of orders this year has increased compared to the same period in 2019, it is currently difficult to estimate Lamborghini's delivery this year due to the uncertainty of capacity recovery.
The increase in order volume is a reflection of the positive market performance, and also a reflection of the still strong demand in the Chinese market. This year's 2020 production quota, including Urus and Huracán EVO rear drive versions, has now sold out. Therefore, I am also constantly adjusting my perspective, focusing on the shift from past delivery volume to order volume, so that I can accurately judge market performance.
7. How is the progress of the Lamborghini four-door GT model project?
The Lamborghini four-door GT model project is under development, and the launch time is expected to be after 2025. At present, Lamborghini is conducting research and evaluation on design, power system, market positioning and other aspects.
At the 2008 Paris Motor Show, the Estoque concept car launched by Lamborghini was fully affirmed by car owners, dealers and friends in the media after its debut. This also shows that Lamborghini is fully qualified for the development of GT models.. In addition, GT models are also part of Lamborghini's brand heritage. Lamborghini's Espada was the world's first super-luxury home GT model.
8. How is the order collection performance in 2020? Has the order volume in the US market declined?
Lamborghini’s order collection in 2020 is very good. Now, the production quotas for the whole year of 2020 and the first 2 to 3 months of 2021 have been sold out. Among them, Huracán EVO's market performance is very outstanding, which is inseparable from the trust and support of our customers.
The market performance trend in the United States is similar to that of China, and the overall performance of the super luxury car segment is better than the overall car market. The epidemic in the United States is still evolving, and the recovery speed will be far slower than that in China. Thanks to the Chinese government's rapid and effective epidemic prevention measures, China has recovered from the epidemic very quickly, and people's lives have gradually returned to normal after a few months.
