Even through the tumult of the global events, the six-decade-old Italian supercar maker Lamborghini has seen an ascendency in many aspects. And now we witness the launch of Malaysia’s very own Lamborghini Kuala Lumpur.
In the year just gone, the marque announced an all-time record and its best year ever, with 2021 seeing an unprecedented 8,405 cars delivered worldwide throughout 52 markets and through 173 dealers. Its order portfolio is also deep enough to cover the entire planned production of 2022 – a period which will see the launch of four new products.
Here in Kuala Lumpur, the month of March saw the unveiling of a new full-service Lamborghini centre, with its local partner SunAgata Supercars holding the sole distributorship, and rights to aftersales and spare parts distribution for the Italian marque in the country. The launch of Lamborghini Kuala Lumpur’s dealership saw the Malaysian debut of the Aventador LP780-4 Ultimae – the highest performing standard-production naturally aspirated V12 from the marque. This unveiling was also witnessed by Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah, founder and chairman of the Sunway Group who are partnered with SunAgata. Cheah shared that his fascination with Lamborghini began with the Murciélago, as it was the first supercar he purchased some 15 years ago.
The inauguration of the Lamborghini Kuala Lumpur showroom was also attended by Automobili Lamborghini Region Director for Asia Pacific Francesco Scardaoni who was appointed to the role in October 2020. For him, the partnership with SunAgata is rooted in the mutual embrace of the Lamborghini culture. “You see from the head of SunAgata – he is a guy who is into motorsports, a car lover and a Lamborghini fan.”
“It’s been amazing to be here in Malaysia,” Scardaoni reflects. “We see how the clients want each car to be different and to stand out – they want to show their style and mood.” He notes that with the Lamborghini customisation and personalisation programme, prospective owners are offered a wide spectrum of options. “It’s like creating a custom-made suit.”
Looking back at the past two years that was, Scardaoni credits the lightning-quick reflexes of Lamborghini in pivoting towards a pure digital strategy. “We wanted our customers to still experience the brand, which is why while other companies were holding on to their product launches, we continued to roll it out with the Huracan EVO Spyder, Essenza SCV12 and many more. The year 2021 saw the launch of the Huracan STO, Aventador Ultimae and the stunning reissue of the Countach LPI 800-4, celebrating this automotive icon’s golden anniversary. “A lot of this happened through augmented reality, together with online car configurators, so that our clients could still dream of Lamborghini while relaxing in their homes,” Scardaoni points out. “All this contributed to an amazing success and when the world started to spin again – we could see customers coming into the showrooms and breathing Lamborghini air.”
Scardaoni notes that 2020 saw a doubling of orders versus 2019, and that momentum carried into 2021 where orders reached a record high. “So 2021 is a record year in terms of delivery and order collection which allows us to see that 2022 will be an amazing year.” For Scardaoni, the fact that the digital parameters were enforced by border restrictions and lockdowns helped Lamborghini break new ground, becoming one of the hottest brands in the metaverse and recently launching its own NFT.
With its boundary-pushing automotive performance now also translated to similarly record-breaking results, Lamborghini is poised to welcome the future in good stead. Scardaoni explains that the process of hybridisation and going full electric is being undertaken with the thought process where, “we always said we don’t want to be the first – but to be the best.” To arrive at a pure EV projected to happen by 2028, the next four years will see an investment of over €1.5 billion. Scardaoni details this process which begins with the first hybrid production model being the Aventador. “It will carry a power train that is the iconic naturally aspirated V12 with a hybrid power unit designed with a unique architecture. This will allow us to start with the transition with electrification with each new car performing better than before,” he says, adding, “the intent is to find the DNA, performance, driveability, emotion and quality in design to ensure that even blindfolded customers will consistently feel the spirit of Lamborghini.”
