Lamborghini
February 2005
BASIC PRESS INFORMATION
The structure of the Lamborghini Group 2
The business year 3
The management 3
The plant 5
The Lamborghini Murciélago 6
The new Lamborghini Murcièlago Roadster 7
The new Lamborghini Gallardo 9
Summary: Lamborghini – manufacturer of exceptional
sports cars 10
Contacts 12
The structure of the Lamborghini Group
Year of establishment: 1963
Ownership: Fully owned subsidiary of AUDI AG since 1998
Companies: The companies Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. (sports cars), Motori Marini Lamborghini S.p.A. (boat engines), Lamborghini ArtiMarca S.p.A. (licences and merchandising), AUTOGERMA S.p.A. (Italian general importer for the Audi, Seat, Škoda, Volkswagen and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicle brands) operate under the umbrella of Automobili Lamborghini Holding S.p.A.
Sales revenues (2004): EUR 240 million (excluding AUTOGERMA)
Sports cars sales (2004): 1592 units
Employees (annual average 2004): 726 (excluding AUTOGERMA)
AUTOGERMA employees (2004): 724
AUTOGERMA revenue (2004): EUR 4,45 billion
AUTOGERMA sales (2004): 241.299 vehicles from all brands of the VW Group (2003: 283.934 vehicles)
The 2004 business year
Automobili Lamborghini celebrated 40 years of sports car manufacturing in 2003. The company, based in Sant’Agata Bolognese and founded in 1963 by Ferruccio Lamborghini, ended its anniversary year with a production and sales record.
Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. sold 1592 sports cars in the year 2004 (2003:1305) – again a sales record. Revenue was EUR 240 million (2003 EUR 200 million). In the annual average for 2004, there were 726 employees – around 140 in research and development. The most important markets for Lamborghini sports cars are the USA (41%), Germany (13%), Great Britain (9)and Japan (8%).
Automobili Lamborghini Holding S.p.A. Board of Directors
Dr. Martin Winterkorn (Chairman)
Dr. Salvatore Cieri (Ceo)
Dr. Wolfgang Rasper (Ceo)
Dr. Jochem Heizmann
Ditmar Schimanski
Senator h.c. Helmut Aurenz
Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen
Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. Board of Directors
Dr. Stephan Winkelmann
(Chairman of the Board of Directors)
Dr.-Ing. Massimo Ceccarani
Dr Klaus-Peter Koerner
Motori Marini Lamborghini S.p.A. Board of Directors
Dr.Klaus-Peter Koerner (Chairman)
Claudio Galli
Lamborghini ArtiMarca S.p.A. Board of Directors
Peter Gorzelitz (Chairman)
Karl-Heinz Drefs
AUTOGERMA S.p.A. Board of Directors
Dr. Hans Dieter Pötsch (Chairman)
Lars-Henner Santelmann
Rupert Stadler
Georg Flandorfer
Bernd Wiedemann
Fred Wilhelm Kappler
CEOs
Dr. Ralf – Otto Limbach
Dr. Wolfgang Rasper
Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A.
The plant
· Sant’Agata Bolognese (BO), Italy
· Area: 100,000 m2
· Employees:726 in the annual average for 2004 (around 140 in Development)
· Production of: Murciélago, Gallardo, Murcièlago Roadster engines and gearboxes
· Production in 2004: 1678 vehicles
· Manhours per unit: approx. 500 hours
· An investment programme of around EUR 150 million includes the development of the Murciélago , Gallardo, and Murcièlago Roadster the upgrading of the production facilities, a new development centre, a museum with showroom and a new office building
The Lamborghini Murciélago
True to the tradition of this world-famous company with the bull as its brand emblem (company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini was born under this sign of the zodiac), Lamborghini has again given the latest product in its distinguished product family the name of a bull. After a series of names taken from types of bull and terms borrowed from bull-fighting – Miura, Islero, Urraco, Jalpa and Espada – the new product has been named Murciélago. This is an unusual but appropriate name for the latest no-compromise sports car from the Lamborghini company.
The Lamborghini Murciélago is a two-seat sports coupé with two doors that, in the Lamborghini tradition, are pivoted at the front and swing upwards. The complete concept of this new model is typical of Lamborghini, with V12 mid-engine, the transmission mounted ahead of the engine, the differential behind it integrated into the engine block and permanent all-wheel drive with a central viscous coupling.
The Murciélago is powered by a 6,192 cc V12 engine. This has an all-aluminium block and is capable of complying without difficulty with even severe exhaust emission limits (EU3 in Europe, EPA, CARP and TIER1 in the USA, JAP in Japan). Its power output is 580 bhp (426 kW) at 7500/min and its maximum torque 650 Nm at 5400/min. This engine accelerates the Murciélago supersport model from 0 to 100 km/h in approx. 3.8 seconds and gives it a top speed of more than 330 km/h.
The new Murciélago’s body is based on a high-strength steel lattice-tube framework, with a high proportion of honeycomb-structure load-bearing elements reinforced with carbon fibre. The sheet steel and carbon-fibre elements are bonded together or joined with steel rivets. The frame, with the load-bearing sheet-steel roof and carbon-fibre reinforced floor panel, has additional reinforcement in the form of ribbed steel sheets; these also have a load-bearing function.
The Lamborghini Murciélago Roadster
The Roadster is a continuation of the Italian tradition of open cars, particularly the cars that have made the Lamborghini name what it is today.
Confirming and strengthening the extreme, exclusive character of the Murciélago Coupé, the Roadster is the “icon” of the new Lamborghini era.
The design of the Murciélago Roadster is exclusive, aggressive and extreme. Whilst designing the Roadster, Luc Donckerwolke – the head of the Centro Stile at Lamborghini – did not settle for simply “cutting” the roof off the Coupé, but gave the open car an original look and a special feeling, a styling of its own, making the Murciélago Roadster absolutely unique.
The Murciélago Roadster was recently voted as the world’s most beautiful supercar as part of the „The World’s most Beautiful Automobile 2004“ awards. The decision was taken by an international jury comprising designers, car and art historians, and specialist journalists.
Based on the technology of the Murciélago Coupé, the Roadster version differs in several key features, such as new parts of the frame, in steel and carbon fibre, designed for additional torsional and flexural rigidity. Incorporated into the overall design philosophy, one of these features, the engine frame, is offered as an option in visible carbon fibre.
Without altering the extreme nature of the car, a soft top can be fitted. It is designed – as is the tradition for this type of vehicle – solely for temporary use (for example a sudden shower) and for speeds of up to 160 km/h (100 mph).
Special attention was nevertheless paid to safety. The Murciélago Roadster is fitted with a special automatic, electronic roll bar which is activated in a few milliseconds from the housing behind the seats in the event of an emergency (roll-over).
The dimensions are the same as for the Coupé. Only the height is different: the Murciélago Roadster is nearly 70 mm lower.
The engine is what a Lamborghini is all about: a 12 cylinder V60° of 6192 cc producing 580 HP (426KW) at 7500 rpm and maximum torque of 650 Nm at 5400 rpm with L.I.E. Lamborghini electronic control. The gearbox is the same as in the Coupé: a manual 6-speed. A robotized 6-speed e-gear system is also available as an option.
The Roadster, like all Lamborghinis, is equipped with permanent 4-wheel drive.
The top speed of the Murciélago Roadster, depending on aerodynamic configuration, is over 320 km/h (around 200 mph).
The Murciélago Roadster is the most extreme and exclusive product line. The interior has so-called asymmetrical open-worked leather upholstery (left-right split). The driver’s area is a genuine “Pilot-Oriented Challenger“.
The Lamborghini Gallardo
For the first time in over a decade the Italian sports car manufacturer Lamborghini has a second model line in the programme for 2003. The new Lamborghini model with the name Gallardo (pronounced ga:jàrdo) will be presented in March next year at the Geneva Motor Show.
The new Lamborghini owes its name to a famous race of fighting bull that was reared from the 18th century onwards by Francisco Gallardo and later by Don Antonio Miura.
The new Lamborghini Gallardo is fully in keeping with the Lamborghini tradition as a sports car with a mid engine and four-wheel drive. The car is driven by a completely new Lamborghini V10 engine with a displacement of five litres and producing an impressive 500 horsepower - figures that guarantee an exceptional performance.
The transfer of power takes place via a 6-speed gearbox with traditional gearshift lever or via the new sequential "e-gear" with shift paddles at the steering wheel.
Production of the new Lamborghini V10 engine has already begun on the newly built assembly line in Lamborghini's own engine manufacturing plant at Sant’Agata Bolognese.
SummaryLamborghini – manufacturer of exceptional sports cars
Following several changes of ownership in the 1970s, AUDI AG of Ingolstadt acquired the entire share capital of the Italian sports car manufacturer Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. in July 1998. The legal form of the company is approximately equivalent to a limited liability company that issues shares, such as exists in Great Britain, an American joint-stock corporation or a German public limited company (AG), like AUDI AG itself.
Shortly after the acquisition Audi restructured the company, and Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. became Automobili Lamborghini Holding S.p.A.. Since November 1998 Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. (sports cars), Motori Marini Lamborghini S.p.A. (powerboat engines), Lamborghini ArtiMarca S.p.A. (merchandising) and, since September 2000, AUTOGERMA S.p.A., the Italian importer for the Audi, Seat, Škoda, Volkswagen and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicle brands, have existed as operating companies.
In the 2004 business year the general importer AUTOGERMA generated sales revenues of Euro 4.45 billion, employed a total of 724 people in the annual average and sold 241,299 vehicles of all Volkswagen Group brands. This Lamborghini subsidiary was established in 1951 in Italy. It has a network of over 2,000 dealers and service workshops, and a large parts store in Verona. The Chairman of the Board of Directors of AUTOGERMA is the Volkswagen Board Member Dr. Hans Dieter Pötsch.
The Automobili Lamborghini Holding company is controlled by a shareholders’ meeting made up of members of the Audi Board of Management. The Board of Directors, similar to that in British companies, consists of managing members and members who are not involved in the management. The chairman is Dr. Martin Winterkorn. The CEOs of the holding are Wolfgang Rasper and Salvatore Cieri.
In 1963 Ferruccio Lamborghini established the company Ferruccio Lamborghini Automobili in Sant’Agata Bolognese near Bologna. The company entered the sports car sector with the 350 GTV. However, the legend began with the Miura, the first mid-engined “super sports car”, which originated from a passion for the world of motorsport. It was succeeded by the no less spectacular Espada, Countach und Diablo models. The successor to the Diablo, the Murciélago, was shown to the public at the 2001 German Motor Show (the ‘IAA’) in Frankfurt, the Gallardo in 2003 (Geneva) and the Murcièlago Roadster in 2004.
Automobili Lamborghini Holding S.p.A.
Via Modena, 12 40019 Sant’Agata Bolognese (BO), Italy
Communication:
Sergio Fontana Tel.: (+39) 051 68 17 653
Mobile: (+39) 349 4598 202 Fax: (+39) 051 68 17 737
e-mail:
Lamborghini contacts at AUDI AG
85045 Ingolstadt, Germany
Communication: Corporate and Finance
Jürgen De Graeve Tel.: (+49) 841 89 34084
Fax: (+49) 841 89 36370
e-mail:
Product
Axel E. Catton Tel.: (+49) 841 89 92593
Fax: (+49) 841 89 32817
e-mail:
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