We speak to Lamborghini boss Stefano Domenicali as it opens its largest showroom in the world in Dubai

Lamborghini has just launched its new three-floor Dubai retail outlet – the largest Raging Bull showroom in the world – and with the Italian carmaker’s chief executive Stefano Domenicali in town for the occasion, we asked him about its significance, the arrival next year of the keenly anticipated Urus SUV, the eye-wateringly fast new Huracán Performante and its plans for hybrid technology.

How significant is the opening of this new Dubai showroom on Sheikh Zayed Road, and what do you anticipate it will do for Lamborghini’s sales volume in the UAE?

Stefano Domenicali: This showroom is proof that Lamborghini is gearing up for a different future in terms of product range and visibility. This showroom is the best we can build and it’s now a reference for the brand. We believe we now have all the ingredients to continue the path of growth we have had for the past few years, particularly as next year we will be launching our new “Super SUV”, the Urus. This will be a crucial market for that vehicle, and this showroom will be the ideal platform to showcase it. The Middle East is a very important market for us.

What will be the core attributes of the Urus?

It will be an SUV in terms of shape, but it will have the great personality and design of our super sports cars, along with the same performance DNA and emotion. It will be a new type of Lamborghini for a new type of customer who can use it on a daily basis. So what we will eventually have in this showroom is the Urus alongside the Huracán and Aventador, and the customer can then decide which way they want to go. You can have fun on the track, you can have fun on the road, or you can have the Urus and take it to the dunes. That’s why we are particularly excited to soon have the Urus here – it’s the perfect car for this region.

What are the biggest challenges with the Urus?

The Urus will effectively double our volumes from 3,500 to 7,000 cars annually. There are two big challenges as far as the Urus is concerned. One is an internal one to ensure the people within our company understand the different philosophy behind this car. The second one is in relation to our dealers, who have to come to grips with selling a different product and have the right infrastructure to prepare and service these cars. These dealers also need to identify the right customers in what is now becoming a very crowded SUV market.

Will Urus buyers be non-traditional Lamborghini customers?

I would hope all our existing customers would also buy the SUV, so they don’t only have the super sports car. The Urus provides the bridge for them to drive their Lamborghini every day. We will also attract many new buyers to the brand, and we have to show them a world that is specific and unique.

Is the annual sales target you have set for Urus (3,500 units) constrained by production?

No. With our super sports cars we have said we don’t want to go above 3,500 cars per year – it’s a strategic number – but with the SUV, we have to make sure we can adapt in line with market demands, but not go over the peak, because that would be wrong. We have started out with a humble target, but if the market demands more cars, then we need to be ready.

Will the 4.0L twin-turbo V8 from the Urus eventually filter through to your other cars?

Our main priority is to preserve the V12 for as long as possible, because for that type of car it has attributes that are unique. We want to protect our niche. As for the V10, the future of that is under investigation, and we are also exploring the hybrid direction, but you have hit on the right point with what you have suggested.

The new Huracán Performante raised eyebrows with its record-breaking (for production cars) lap of 6 minutes 52 seconds at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Were you surprised by the controversy in its wake, with several sceptics doubting the credibility of the lap time?

Actually, this is the greatest compliment to us – it shows we have achieved something really incredible. It also shows that you don’t need only horsepower to post a good lap, as the Performante’s active aerodynamics were the real key to the lap. For people to doubt us is a little crazy, because how can they think for even a second that a company like Lamborghini would play games like this? In any case, we have shared very openly our telemetry and data.

motoring@thenational.ae