Lamborghini sales accelerate in UAE as Italian marque launches Huracán LP 610-4

The Huracán is the successor to the Gallardo and was unveiled at the opening of the new showroom on Abu Dhabi's Corniche.

The new Lamborghini Abu Dhabi showroom, where the Lamborghini 'Huracan' was unveiled. Mona Al-Marzooqi / The National
Powered by automated translation

Lamborghini is bullish on the UAE after record deliveries last year. The Italian company delivered 72 supercars last year in the Emirates, up 71 per cent from 42 the previous year.

"We are only constrained by the number of cars allotted to us," said Bader Al Jaziri, the owner and chief executive of Al Jaziri Motors, the Lamborghini distributor in the UAE, after the opening of a new showroom on the Corniche in the capital last week.

The car maker also launched its latest supercar in the Emirates, the Huracán LP 610-4, which was first unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month.

Stephan Winkelmann, the president and chief executive of Lamborghini, said global bookings for the car had already exceeded more than 1,000 units. “Deliveries of the car will start in the second half of the year,” he said.

The Huracán is the successor to the Gallardo, Lamborghini’s best-selling car in its 50-year history.

The company sold more than 14,000 of the model in its 10-year life cycle, with production ending last year.

Prices for the Huracán start at just less than Dh1 million and go higher with additional options.

“[The price] is only marginally higher than the Gallardo. But it comes with a lighter chassis made from a combination of aluminium and carbon fibre, and is fitted with ceramic brakes,” said Mr Winkelmann.

Rival Ferrari is expected to launch its much-anticipated California — also unveiled in Geneva — in the UAE this month. Prices are expected to start at Dh700,000, industry sources said. Last month, Maserati started sales of the Ghibli, priced at less than Dh300,000.

Al Jaziri Motors is investing heavily in new facilities. The distributor will move to a new showroom on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai in August, which will also include a body and paint shop. “It will be the biggest in the Middle East,” said CK Ashok, the company’s sales manager in Dubai.

The capital will get its own service centre in Mussaffah.

“Owners will no longer have to send their cars to Dubai for servicing once the facility opens in three months’ time,” said Mr Al Jaziri.

Luxury car dealers in the UAE had a bumper year in 2013 on the back of a more robust economy. Maserati recorded a 44 per cent increase in sales. Porsche, Rolls-Royce, Mercedes, Audi and BMW also had a stellar year.

Audi has maintained its momentum into this year. The Volkswagen-owned brand overtook fierce competitors BMW and Mercedes in terms of sales, selling 242,400 units around the world in the first two months of 2014 compared with 242,017 for BMW and 229,630 cars for Mercedes.

siyer@thenational.ae