Lamborghini To Have Tough Year in 2010

People who actually believed that luxury item producers such as luxury automakers will not suffer from the recession were wrong. Sports car manufacturers had to decrease production, send people home for a while and renegotiate deals with suppliers in order to get through.

The difficult times are not over yet, as Lamborghini sees a tough 2010. In 2009, Lambo’s sales went down 35 percent and a growth is unlikely to come sooner than 2011. So tightening up the belt will be crucial next year, as the Volkswagen-owned supercar brand hopes to get higher volumes in China.

Lamborghini sold 80 cars in China this year from its 2,000 vehicle production, improving its 2008 record of 70 cars. China became the second largest market for the Italian brand.

"It was tough, it's still tough," CEO Stephan Winkelmann told Reuters in an interview in Los Angeles. "2011 will be a recovery, but we first have to see, if the year 2010 will be another very tough year for the industry."

Marketing the brand has become a very important part of the Lamborghini business in the current economical context. Winkelmann and a few executives from Lambo participated at the low-key launch of a boutique outside LA, near the Malibu community. So if you’re a fan, but you can’t afford a car, you can buy anything from jackets and trousers to bags with the Lamborghini logo.

"You buy into a brand, you increase image and awareness," Winkelmann explained. More stores like this are planned in future, but "in this tough economic situation we don't want to push too much."