Ferrari has always been the archetype of a supercar manufacturer with a glorious history in motorsports and one of the most valuable brand names in the world. However, Herbert Diess, CEO of VW Group, thinks that Lamborghini is not far behind, stating a number of advantages of the Sant’Agata brand over their rivals in Maranello.
As reported by Automobilwoche, Diess said: “Lamborghini is doing very well, with double-digit returns and an electrification program. The brand does not need to shy away from comparison with Ferrari. We have younger customers, are stronger in Asia, and have a broader range of models”. With this statement, Diess confirmed once more that VW Group is keeping Lamborghini, following the Bugatti-Rimac merge announced recently.
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Lamborghini, founded in 1963, was always intended to be a Ferrari rival. Probably every petrolhead know the story about Ferruccio Lamborghini’s meeting with Enzo Ferrari where he was mocked for being a tractor-maker after complaining about the clutch of his own Ferrari. Since then, both Italian companies have produced some seriously cool supercars, bringing their rivalry from the wall posters of young enthusiasts in the ’80s to the smartphone wallpapers of millennials.
While flagships like the Miura, Countach, and Diablo from Lamborghini and 288 GTO, F40, and F50 from Ferrari have reached legendary status, the war between the Italian brands was intensified during the past decade where both of them achieved an impressive sales growth.
The pre-pandemic 2019 was Lamborghini’s best year ever with 8,205 sales, an unbelievable number if you consider that 20 years ago it only sold 265 cars. Lamborghini’s trajectory under the ownership of Volkswagen Group has been a hell of a ride, but its worldwide sales numbers are still lagging behind Ferrari, which sold a record 10,131 cars in 2019. What is even more interesting is that while Lamborghini’s sales hugely rely on the Urus, Ferrari hasn’t unveiled yet their first SUV – the Purosangue.
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Diess has a point in emphasizing Lamborghini’s appeal to younger people as the Huracan and Aventador appear to be the must-have supercars for every successful YouTuber. Asia is also a very important market which is going to play a very important role in the future sales crown. But does really Lamborghini’s current range (Huracan, Aventador and Urus, plus the ultra-exclusive Sian) compare with Ferrari’s offerings (Portofino, Roma, 296 GTB, F8 Tributo, 812, SF90 plus one-offs and limited production models)? Probably not.
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It remains to be seen how this rivalry is going to continue in the near future when electrification will shake things up in the automotive industry – even for high-end supercar manufacturers. In theory, Lamborghini has the upper hand thanks to VW Group’s expertise and investment ability. Then again, Ferrari already has not one, but two hybrids in its range, the SF90 Stradale and the 296 GTB. The decades-old rivalry will continue into the electrified era – and we can’t wait to see what the two of the world’s most prized manufacturers have in store for us.
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