Is Lambo on the way out..?

Audi's are very well engineered modern cars and a lot of that is going into new Lambo's.

Audi Tech's are VERY well trained. Adding Lambo training would be no big deal.

Lambo's are now simply Italian Suited Audi's and in the future will be even more so especially with VAG's buying Italdesign.

The V10 Audi Sportscar is basically a German Suited Lambo/Audi.

People buying exotic cars are often leery of finding service and Audi has a lot more dealers than Ferrari for example. Stand alone Lambo dealerships IMO will be like Dodo Birds.

 

Well inspite of your admiration for Audi I don't buy that they currently know how to service these cars. The cars certainkly do share components and some design elements but that doesn't mean every Audi dealer could be economically trained to adequately service a Lamborghini. You'd probably end up with specialist dealers. Then you have to consider who is going to buy a Lamborghini. An Audi customer isn't typically going to step up to a Lamborghini. Except for a handful of R8 buyers that's a long frickin' step.

A hybrid approach of ownerships that sell a combination of say Aston, Bentley's, Ferrari's, Maserati ... etc. is one that's already out there in many sucessful examples. I bought several cars from British Motors in SF and they'd certainly fit that model. Customers shared between those brands are a better fit than an Audi or even a Porsche/Audi dealership. But I agree with you that a standalone Lamborghini dealer is pretty tough. One has just to look at the history of Aston, Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini distribution over the last 40 years in the country so see how tumultous things get.

Bob S.

 

A dealer like British Motors in SF is exactly what I was going to suggest, Bob.

Fred

 

Unless Lambo can sell more than 17 new cars a month in the US it won't matter anyway.

 

Bob, there is nothing on a Gallardo that isn't on an R8. And there are some things on Audis (DRC suspension, turbos, dual clutch transmissions, etc) that are not on any Lambo. Any Audi dealer that currently handles R8s could service Lambos. And if dealerships close, you are going to have well trained Lambo mechanics available and looking for work. You need good people with the right training and tools.

What's funny is I have just the opposite impression of the multi-brand dealership. How do they maintain techs and tools for a half a dozen expensive specialty brands? You need the bread and butter to keep on the lights.

So which is more feasible? An Audi dealer that sells a bunch of A4s and A6s and also takes care of A8s, R8s, RS cars, and Lamborghini; or a dealer that sells Maserati, Bentley, Aston Martin, Ferrari, and Lambo?

Yes, you will have to rub shoulders with the masses when you get service. But I have always looked around in the HUGE lavish showrooms of multi-marque dealers and thought "SOMEONE is paying for all of this...."

Good people is 99% of it. And just because the dealer is certified Lambo or Ferrari or whatever doesn't make that problem go away.

My Audi dealership is top notch. If they serviced R8s, I'd own one. As it turns out, the privilege to do so costs too much from Audi to make it feasible for them. But I'd trust them in a minute to service any modern Lambo.

 

Compared to Winning Le Mans, and there is a private Audi dealership that has, servicing Lambo's is no big deal.

 

One of my favorite "Lambo vs. Ferrari" arguments to hear is the "Lamborghini is not as good as Ferrari because they have no racing heritage. Plus, now they are just AUDIS..."

So do you want racing heritage or not????

 

The later.
The point is, it already works and has for a very long time. It's called diversification.

If you sell Gallardos at an Audi dealership what's the point? Especially with their introduction of the R8GT. Sometimes Audi/VW mystifies me. Their misguided Phaeton is another example. Apparently not too many wanted to buy such an expensive VW that didn't look like too much. They did similar things around 2000 when the A6 was such a hit and very nice car I might add. So why did the VW models begin to showing up in nearly the same guise, fit and finish? So I wasn't surprised when the R8 popped up. Have they made more money with the R8 & R10 than they have with lamborghini? I don't know. Is cannibalizing Gallardo sales with R8 sales at combined Audi/Lamborghini dealers a good move? No they're not the same car, just too damn similar.

The R8 is interesting but I don't find it terribly sexy or good looking. Undoubtedly some feel the other way around. It's just odd looking to me, sort of an Avus with glandular problems and much better looking relations. I'm not a gigantic fan of any of the current crop of Lamborghinis but I have seen a couple Gallardo spiders that were very nicely trimmed.
Lot's of nice looking current Audi models as well.

Bob S.

 

The two have nothing to do with each other.

 

Bob: I think you missed Jim's point. Winning Le Mans outright on multiple occasions says a lot about that manufacturer's competency and capabilities from top to bottom.

 

That would be the logical thing to do. However having been in this business for most o my life the way the factory does business with it's dealers is not logical. I was the GSM of an Acura/Audi dealership in Maryland. The factory has mandated a complete remodel of that store 3 times in 10 years to keep up with their "theme". VAG really wants the corperate looking dealerships and I don't see them relaxing that to help Lamborghini dealers. Most of the Lamborghini dealers out there have spent big money building or remodeling their stores. The good thing is Audi and I would think Lamborghini subsidized the dealers for these projects. Toyota is all over my current dealer to do the curved front building and completely on our dime. The factory probably will just let the strong survive and the weak will go away. There are 4 empty full service car lots here in the Boise area. A thined out dealer base might not be a bad thing. I have always thought that pretty much every car line has too many stores. I know in the Lamborghini market it would suck for service but maybe there only needs to be one dealer in markets like LA?

PS sorry for the novel

 

Normally, I'd might agree with that, but I've been hearing that the top Lamborghini dealers are still doing ok.

If I remember right, Lamborghini Dallas is supposed to be moving into a new independent dealership soon once again.

 

They're doing exactly that in Kuwait, the Audi dealer is also the Lamborghini dealer, although they have seperate showrooms the service center location is the same for both but they've divided it into the Lamborghini only service area and the Audi service area, from what I can tell it works for a small market like Kuwait.

S

 

Not arguing with you at all....... BUT....... just how "OK" can they all be doing, when they (in total) only sell 17 cars a month ?

 

Joe here's an even stranger one for you. The 2011 Audi R8 GT will be basically a GT3 car like the Porsche GT3 RS. You can get it with a bolt in Roll Cage, 4 point belts and a Fire extinguisher.

560 hp
3362 lbs

This year Porsche drove a GT3 RS from Stuttgart to Nurburgring, in the 24 Hours and back to Stuttgart.

I bet next year Audi will drive an R8 GT from Ingolstadt to the Ring, run it in the 24 and drive it home.

Why aren't they doing this with a G???

It's almost like VAG is giving up on modern Lambo.

Look at this thread:


http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=283286
Lambo monitored the thread. Read how the poster perceived their actions.

He had owned several modern Lambo's and would up Lemon Lawing the car. As Roy pointed out there is an exact new unsold car just like the one they couldn't fix in a timely fashion.

Why didn't they just give him that one? What's in their minds? This is like the bad old days of Lambo when they were on the edge of Bankruptcy not something that could possibly be happening today.

 

It is insightful to connect the other Lemon Law thread topic with this one.
It does makes sense that this might be a very tight time financially for them to lose the entire revenue for one car for the sake of a long-time customer relationship.

I don't think anyone is questioning Lamborghini's passion for making truly exotic sports cars.
Unfortunately, it has been proven many times in the past with other car companies, that passion alone won't guarantee positive cash flow.

 

I think Lambo makes Great Very interesting cars. The thing that I cannot believe is that their management is acting this way. What could possibly be in their mind? They seem to have no Passion for cars at all. A while back I suggested Roy would be a much better Head of US Lambo. I was being totally serious. Roy has Passion. We've disagreed in the past but he has Passion and Lambo desperately needs Passion and a completely different rational approach in the US or they will disappear.

When you are only selling 17 new cars a month in the US you are sinking. The time for rearranging the Deck Chairs has long passed.

 

Actually I think it is an appropriate link because it illustrates better than anyone can descibe one of the reasons (among many) why Lamborghini is said to be selling 17 cars a month.

It also illustrates one of the reasons (among many) that Lamborghini may be on the way out (as the OP puts it).

 

Dear Lamborghinisti,

Porsche wins Lemans everyday....I still wouldn't touch one....borrrrring, uninspired and even their Carrera GT looks like a 40K boxster....

Give me something exciting....and that's Lamborghini.

Ferrari may win all the races but their road cars are boring to look at....nice, but no Lamborghini.


Shamile

Freeze....Miami Vice !

 

I think the Lamborghini cars are exciting cars too, however, I wouldn't judge Ferraris of the same era as "boring".

Because the recent Lamborghinis are mid-engine, to be fair, we should compare the mid-engine car designs of Ferrari to the Lamborghini cars from roughly the same years.

For example:
Ferrari Enzo vs. the Murcielago (or perhaps the Reventon, since the Enzo is a "special car")
Ferrari 360/430 vs. the Gallardo
Ferrari Testarossa vs. the Diablo
Ferrari BBi Boxer vs. the Miura

 

Joe:

I don't disagree that Audi is a very capable company and a terrific racing competitor. That they have outstanding racing technology is beyond doubt. My point was that racing has nothing to do with being ale to properly manage a dealer network that's all. Would having Audi win F1 or the World Rally Championship three years in a row make a difference? If it was Lamborghini? I think sales could get better. Service? If it was Audi? No.

Someone go ask that poor bastard with the f*cked up Balboni that can't get phone calls returned and supposedly needs a new wiring harness if Audi's racing pedigree is what's impressing him right now?

Do I think a subset of Audi dealers can be set up to properly service Lamborghinis? Of course they can. Every dealer? No. Will that be their only choice in small markets? Maybe so. Should they close down the multi franchise owner's dealerships? No.

Bob S.

 

I agree completely. All those points are mystifying decisions.

Bob S.

 

Is it possible that it's Audi that doesn't like Lamborghinis? Maybe they SHOULD sell out.
If I were with lamborghini the R8 &R10 would really piss me off.

 

Dear Lamborghinisti,

Yes....good statement. I'm thinking of the Diablo / Countach series vs. the 360, 430 458....not a true comparison. I love....really love the 80/90's Ferraris...Testarossa, 308, 355, F 40, F50.....but not the new stuff....looks like Lexus

Even today's cars, the Murci is still low and wide while all the new F cars are bloated cows....have you seen how big they are? Even the new 458 is 48" tall !!!


I can envision a multi mark dealer Audi/Lamborghini, but even on the same lot, the Lamborghini brand image should be maintained....seperated...or roped off showroom, glamorous waiting area...Lambo only.....specialty coffee service etc.
If you're paying 10K + for a clutch job, I want a tall thin blonde in high heels handing me a cappuccino while I'm sitting on a Mies Van der Rohe chair.

The cars can all enter the same service bay....


When I was a kid, you had porsche / audi dealers but the porsche section was always separated with distinction. They never mixed Audi's and porsches on the dealer floor.

I really do think Lamborghini is too small to " go it alone" ....given their 2 car line up.



Shamile

Freeze....Miami Vice !