Lamborghini President and CEO Stephan Winkelmann unveiled the Italian sports car maker's latest high-powered product, the 640PS V12-engined Murciélago LP640 Roadster, at the centenary edition Los Angeles International Auto Show late last week, and he revealed that 2007 will be a year of consolidation. The new Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 Roadster, which is is one of the stars of the Los Angeles International Auto Show, benefits from the same extensive modifications to the bodywork and mechanics as the LP640 Coupé, as well as delivering its own distinct character. In their re-interpretation of the Roadster, the designers of the Lamborghini Centro Stile have remained true to the original style principles of purism, sportiness and functionality.

Lamborghini will target overall growth of between 5 and 10 percent next year, slower than this year's 20 percent rise, as they seek to consolidate on the recent explosive growth. The Bologna-based firm has sold around 1,900 cars already this year and should achieve its 2,000 unit target for they year. This represents a huge turnaround in Lamborghini's fortunes since 1998 when it was acquired by Audi and sales stood at around 250 years.
 

Winkelmann also stated that the firm would continue with its now four model line-up and that more new models were not in the pipeline, allowing Lamborghini to maintain its exclusive image and letting its growing dealer network to expand with exerting additional pressures. "The point is to have growth balanced between production, the image of the product and the capacity of our dealer network," Winkelmann told Reuters at the Los Angeles Auto Show. "I don't want to increase production because it's expensive on the one hand, but it's also a risk for the future of the company," he added.

This year has seen two significant new models that push forward the performance boundaries at Automobili Lamborghini: the Murciélago LP640 Coupé and now the LP640 Roadster. The Coupé arrived in Geneva in March, while the Roadster has debuted this month in Los Angeles. Winkelmann stated that only 200 LP640 Roadsters will be built, with 100 of them earmarked for the United States "They were buying blind, because we have just unveiled it," Winkelmann also said in Los Angeles. "Now the list will definitely grow."

The global dealer network is a current priority for Lamborghini. With increasing sales Lamborghini are finding that more and more customers are using their cars day to day, putting pressure on the network of service points. From 86 dealers at the start of the year, a total of 100 should be achieved by the end of 2006, with new markets entered this year including Russia, India and Brazil. "We are slowing down a bit the growth in the dealer network," Reuters quoted Winkelmann as saying. "We still have major metropolitan areas we would like to cover but it will take a few years because we want to go hand in hand with production capacity."