Lamborghini eyes more Korean collaborations as sales explode in country

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Lamborghini eyes more Korean collaborations as sales explode in country

Published: 06 Mar. 2025, 18:35

SARAH CHEA
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Automobili Lamborghini Chairman and CEO Stephan Winkelmann introduces the Temerario sports car in Korea during a media event in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, on March 6. [NEWS1]

[INTERVIEW]

From batteries to tires, Automobili Lamborghini looks to cooperate more with auto parts makers in Korea, the country in which the Italian marque sells more cars than it does on its home turf.

Lamborghini Chairman and CEO Stephan Winkelmann met privately with Hankook Tire and Technology Chairman Cho Hyun-bum during his visit to Seoul on Thursday for further business opportunities, though the specific details of their talks have not been disclosed.

“The latest Temerario sports car is installed with LG Energy Solution batteries, which we chose for higher output,” Winkelmann said in an interview with Korean press in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, on Thursday.

It’s the first time Lamborghini has topped LG’s batteries. The raging-bull marque uses Samsung SDI batteries for its Urus SE, another plug-in hybrid version of the best-selling Urus. Hankook Tire has been an exclusive tire supplier of the Italian brand for its Lamborghini Super Trofeo motorsports event since 2023.

“The nationality of the supplier is not our concern,” said Winkelmann. “We have a clear process on how to choose them, and then it's always a matter of us being the best match.”

The Temerario sports car is unveiled in Korea during a media event in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, on March 6. [YONHAP]

Lamborghini is currently enjoying a sales boom in Korea, having sold a total of 487 supercars in Korea last year, beating its sales of 479 in Italy. The figure far outpaced other luxury brands’ Korean sales, including those of Bentley Motors which sold 400, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars with 183, Maserati with 251 and Ferrari, which had 373 units.

“What distinguishes Korea from other countries is the degree of female buyers, which is much higher than in other countries,” said Winkelmann. “Also, they are very young, which is a very positive trend.”

The ultra-luxury brand on Thursday also unveiled the Temerario sports car for the Korean market, a successor of Huracan, where topped with an 8-cylinder twin-turbo engine paired with three electric motors for the first sports car in the history of the Italian carmaker.

It’s also the second plug-in-hybrid model, making for the first ultraluxury auto brand to hybridize its entire lineup.

The Temerario boasts up to 920 horsepower, with a maximum of 74.4 kilogram-meters (538.14 pound-feet) of torque. It can reach a speed of 340 kilometers (211.27 miles) per hour, and requires only 2.7 seconds to reach 100 kilometers per hour from zero.

The sticker price is set at 440 million won ($304,000) in Korea.

Winkelmann also hinted at bringing Lamborghini’s motorsports events to Korea and making a bigger community so that Korean consumers can communicate with Asia-Pacific dealers.

Regarding U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff push on foreign auto imports, the chairman said he is closely communicating with the administration. Trump has declared he will impose a 20 percent duty on all automobile imports. The United States is Lamborghini’s No. 1 market.

“We are evaluating different scenarios, depending on what the administration is going to decide, but it's too early now to jump to the second point,” Winkelmann added.

BY SARAH CHEA [[email protected]]