The ultra-luxury automobile market in China is expanding at a rapid pace. This trend, in turn, is greatly increasing the importance of the market in manufacturers’ marketing strategies.
However, Italian supercar manufacturer Lamborghini’s performance has been the opposite. Over the past few years, Lamborghini’s Chinese sales fell from 320 vehicles in 2012 to 267 vehicles in 2013. So far only 144 Lamborghinis have been sold so far over the first three quarters of this year, 40 percent less than the 240 vehicles sold in the first three quarters of 2013.
This has been in stark contrast to previous years, when Lamborghini’s Chinese sales grew dramatic amounts over the course of a few years. However, despite the sales decline, China still remains the manufacturer’s second largest market, with over ten percent of its sales coming from the country. A total of 20 Lamborghini dealers are in operation in the Greater China region; that number is equivalent to over 15 percent of its 129 dealerships in its global sales network.
Fierce competition from Porsche, Ferrari, Bentley, Maserati and other luxury automobile manufacturers, along with Lamborghini’s own lack of knowledge of the Chinese market, have been major factors behind the manufacturers’ declining performance in the country. Whether or not Lamborghini will be able to reverse this trend remains to be seen.
