At the Detroit Motor Show this week Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann was in upbeat mood saying that he expects sales to rise by 5 percent this year, following on from last year's record sales.

At the Detroit Motor Show Lamborghini President and CEO Stephan Winkelmann was in upbeat mood saying that he expects sales to rise by 5 percent this year, following on from last year's record sales. "We are concentrating on a healthy and controlled growth of roughly 5 percent per year," he commented in an interview. Lamborghini are at the show presenting a new range of customisation options, including new paint and interior finishes.

Lamborghini revealed at the show that it sold 2,406 cars last year, a new company record, and a 15.3 percent rise over 2006 when 2,087 of its sportscars were sold. "2007 was a fantastic year for Lamborghini," Winkelmann told the media.

"Our first half profit was 26.4 million euros and we booked a double-digit million euro amount in the second half as well," he told Auto Motor und Sport magazine, adding that the first half pre-tax profit margin of 10.4 percent didn't shrink during the last six months, and that last year will be profitable once more with 2008 set to build further on this. He also said the target of reaching sales of 3,000 cars per year wouldn't happen this year, it is a "long term goal that we certainly will not reach this decade," he told the German magazine. Winkelmann also stated that he wanted parts sharing with parent company Audi to account for no more than 10 percent of components.

Detroit is important to Lamborghini as North America accounts for 40 percent of its total sales. Last year for the first time it sold more than 1,000 cars in North America, and to reflect this a new dealer management arm has been set up. There are 34 dealers in the US at present; Winkelmann expects the total number worldwide to climb to 130 by the end of the year, double the number the company had when he took over as President and CEO in 2004.

Lamborghini has presented several new customisation options at the Detroit show, dubbed Ad Personam, as they follow a route that is now being trod by many other manufacturers, including its closest rivals, Ferrari. The striking new paint options included a matt brown (Marrone Apus) which is being shown on a Gallardo Spyder in the centre of the stand. "Many of our customers take advantage of this programme as a tool for owning an even more exclusive Lamborghini," said Winkelmann. Flanking the US$298,000 list price Gallardo Spyder are two Murciélago LP640 models, the Coupé (US$415,000) and Roadster (US$445,000), both of which are finished in another eye-catching new colour, Blu Cepheus, which according to Lamborghini, was inspired by the blue hue of polar ice caps. An untreated leather option is also being shown; as it is untreated it will change colour over time. "Dream your dream and let us produce a car for you," Chas Ostezan, a spokesman said, adding that any part of the interior or exterior could be transformed to personal tastes by the firm, "Anything that doesn’t affect safety or the build of the car," he added.

Lamborghini revealed that it is negotiating to extend its relationship with the Italian fashion house Versace. The relationship began at the Paris Motor Show in 2006 when Lamborghini unveiled a special 20-unit edition Murciélago LP640 Versace (10 white, 10 black) which featured cabin materials styled by the fashion concern as well as discrete Versace branding. The co-branding is now to be extended, with a partnership expected to be announced this year. "We are on a good track," said Winkelmann.

An impending US recession could affect Lamborghini but Winkelmann was confident that the Bologna Sant'Agata based firm won't be affected. "For the time being we see no decline," he said, adding that they were cushioned by a full 2008 order book. "We are watching the development very carefully."

Winkelmann also discussed the proposed EU penalties to be levied on high polluting cars; he told Detroit News at the weekend: "We would hope that we could include our cars in with our parent company Volkswagen's to avoid penalties, or that the European Union would allow an exception for traditional high end small brands like ours whose brand delivers speed, luxury and that unmistakeable noise. We wouldn't want to change the DNA of our brand and change what a supercar is all about," said Winkelmann.