India to be a key market for Lamborghini

Super sports car manufacturer Lamborghini sees India as one of the key markets for the company globally, with growing acceptance of super luxury cars in the country.

With positives like a stable government and the stabalising rupee, the company, which on Monday launched the Huracan LP610-4 in India at a cool Rs3.43 crore (ex-showroom, Delhi), feels that India has potential to become one of the top five markets in the South East Asia and Pacific region (excluding China and Japan) in the near future.

The company is hoping that the new launch will bring in a fresh set of customers, helping the segment grow in India.

Talking about the potential of the Indian market, Sebastien Henry, head-SE Asia & Pacific at Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A, said, "The extreme sports car segment, where we operate, is extremely small in India. However, we at Lamborghini are leading the pack. We know that there is a lot more potential here for product like Lamborghini."

In 2013, Lamborghini sold 20 units, a growth from 17 units it sold in 2012. The company is hoping to add incremental volumes with the new launch. It has already garnered 10 bookings for the new sports car.

The company is also seeing growing acceptance from the smaller cities. The company has sold cars in cities such as Surat, Jaipur, Bhubaneshwar and Kolkata, among others.

It has recently set up a national sales team here. Owned by Audi AG, the company has two exclusive dealerships, one each in Delhi and Mumbai and the third outlet is being set up in Bangalore this year.

For the Italian manufacturer, South East Asia and Pacific region (excluding China and Japan), contribute around 15% of company's overall global volumes, out of this markets like Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore are the major contributors in terms of volumes.

At present, the Italian auto maker sells models like Gallardo as well as Aventador in the local market, and the Huracan LP610-4 is the replacement for Gallardo.

Indian currently being a smaller market for Lamborghini, a lot will depend on the overall response for Huracan. "Well as of now, with the kind of volumes we are doing, it's (India) strangely one of the smallest markets in the South East Asia. But we are still convinced that it can reach another level, if the confidence in the country changes. Now there is more stability with elections and there are lesser doubts in the mind of the potential consumers.

We are very convinced in the medium term about the success of Huracan, which will bring more and more customers," said Henry.