Lamborghini History: Ownership, Growth and the Hybrid Era

Lamborghini began with a grand tourer, not the mid-engine supercars that would become its signature. In 1963, Ferruccio Lamborghini established an automobile manufacturer in Sant’Agata Bolognese after building businesses in agricultural machinery and heating. His new venture aimed to offer a refined, capable high-end car.

Within a few years, the Miura gave the young manufacturer an altogether more dramatic identity. The Countach later made sharp, wedge-shaped design a defining part of its image. Those celebrated cars did not prevent financial trouble, however. The founder departed, the business faced bankruptcy and successive changes of ownership.

The next major change came in 1998, when Audi acquired Lamborghini within the Volkswagen Group. A succession of new supercars followed, then the Urus took the business into high-performance SUVs. By 2026, the main production families had become plug-in hybrids, while management had revised plans for the marque’s first fully electric model line.

A Quick Look at the History of Lamborghini

Ferruccio Lamborghini Enters the Grand Touring Market

Ferruccio Lamborghini had already established businesses in tractors and heating equipment before founding an automobile company. Those earlier enterprises formed part of his experience and financial background, but they were separate from the sports-car manufacturer that began operations in 1963.

His ambition was to offer a high-performance grand tourer with the refinement he expected from an expensive road car. The origin is often retold as a confrontation in which Enzo Ferrari supposedly insulted Ferruccio. Accounts of that exchange differ, and the famous dialogue cannot be established as the single trigger for the venture. Ferruccio’s existing interest in prestige cars and his plans for a better grand tourer provide a more reliable explanation of the company’s purpose.

The first visible result was the 350 GTV prototype, presented at Turin in 1963. Its development drew on specialist expertise, including designer Franco Scaglione and engineer Giotto Bizzarrini. But a concept car was only the beginning: Lamborghini still needed a model it could produce and sell.

The production 350 GT debuted at Geneva in 1964, following further development associated with Paolo Stanzani and refined coachwork by Touring. The distinction between prototype and production car matters. In just over a year, Ferruccio’s proposed venture had become a functioning prestige-car manufacturer.

The Miura and Countach Change the Shape of Lamborghini

The company’s first cars reflected conventional grand touring priorities. The Miura, introduced in 1966, took a strikingly different approach: a V12 mounted transversely behind the occupants and dramatic Bertone bodywork. It became an influential example of the mid-engine supercar layout and gave Lamborghini an identity beyond the refined front-engine GT.

The Miura did not end the grand touring side of the business. The four-seat Espada and the Islero appeared in 1968, demonstrating that Lamborghini was still developing cars for customers interested in longer-distance comfort alongside dramatic performance. The smaller-engined Urraco later broadened the offering again.

A second enduring design shift began with the Countach LP500 concept shown in 1971. Its angular, wedge-shaped silhouette contrasted sharply with the Miura’s curves. The production LP400 followed in 1974, turning the concept’s striking profile into a car customers could buy.

From that point, Lamborghini’s public identity drew heavily on two distinct breakthroughs: the Miura’s mid-engine configuration and the Countach’s uncompromising visual form. Strong differentiation helped define the marque, but memorable products alone could not guarantee stability for a small manufacturer.

Financial Crisis and a Founder’s Departure

Even as the Countach was emerging, control of the business began passing away from Ferruccio Lamborghini. He sold a 51% stake to Georges-Henri Rossetti in 1972 and disposed of the remaining interest around 1974, with René Leimer taking that stake. His exit was a process rather than a single sale of the entire company in 1972.

The 1970s proved difficult for an expensive, low-volume carmaker. Energy-market disruption and weaker demand formed part of the economic backdrop. Lamborghini faced bankruptcy and compulsory liquidation during the difficult decade. The pressures extended beyond any single market event.

The Mimran Group took control in 1981 and invested in the troubled manufacturer. Models of that era included the Jalpa and, in 1986, the LM002—an unusual performance off-roader that was quite different from the much later Urus SUV.

Chrysler Corporation acquired Lamborghini from the Mimran Group in 1987. The Diablo, a V12-powered successor to the Countach, arrived in 1990. In 1994, Chrysler sold the company to MegaTech. These changes preserved the automobile business through multiple ownership regimes, but they also underline how far its corporate circumstances had shifted from the founder-led operation of the 1960s.

Audi Ownership and a Broader Supercar Range

On July 10, 1998, Audi completed its acquisition of Automobili Lamborghini within the Volkswagen Group. Group resources helped support a broader sequence of model development.

The Murciélago arrived in 2001 as the new flagship, followed by the smaller Gallardo in 2003. Rather than relying on one principal supercar family, Lamborghini now offered a broader two-model lineup. That expansion became one of the defining features of the Audi-era business.

Investment in engineering capabilities accompanied the product changes. Lamborghini established a Composites Center in 2007, reflecting the importance of lightweight materials in its subsequent work. The Aventador, introduced in 2011, and Huracán, introduced in 2014, carried forward the flagship-and-smaller-supercar approach.

The broader model range and new engineering capabilities marked a substantial change from the years of financial instability and frequent ownership turnover.

The Urus Expands the Business Beyond Two-Door Exotics

For decades, Lamborghini’s central identity rested on exotic sports cars, even though the earlier LM002 had shown an interest in performance-oriented off-road vehicles. The Urus, launched in 2018, was a different proposition: a high-performance luxury SUV intended to sit alongside Lamborghini’s supercars as part of the regular model range.

The Urus broadened the regular lineup beyond two-door exotics, making luxury SUVs part of Lamborghini’s business alongside supercars.

The scale of the more diversified business is visible in later results. Lamborghini reported 10,747 vehicle deliveries and €3.20 billion in revenue for 2025, both company records. The figures reflect the greater scale of the diversified lineup, without assigning the results to a single model.

Hybrid Supercars and a Change in Electric-Vehicle Plans

Lamborghini announced its Direzione Cor Tauri electrification roadmap in 2021. Its next major product introductions reflected a move from traditional combustion-only models toward plug-in-hybrid powertrains. The V12 Revuelto was introduced in 2023, followed by the Urus SE and the V8 Temerario in 2024.

Customer deliveries of the Temerario began in 2026. By November 2026, Revuelto, Urus SE and Temerario formed the three main plug-in-hybrid production families.

A more substantial change emerged in 2026. Lamborghini had proposed a fully electric fourth model line associated with the Lanzador concept, but management abandoned the battery-only version of that plan and redirected the proposed model toward a plug-in-hybrid configuration. CEO Stephan Winkelmann pointed to limited interest in battery-electric vehicles among the company’s target customers. That was management’s assessment of its target buyers.

The proposed fourth model had not entered production. For the time being, the new electrification strategy centered on plug-in hybrids.

Lamborghini in 2026: Records and New Pressures

The 2025 delivery and revenue records came alongside a more complicated profit picture. Lamborghini reported €768 million in operating profit for 2025, compared with €835 million in 2024, and a 24% operating return on sales. Reuters reported that U.S. tariffs, adverse exchange rates and costs associated with the electric-vehicle project weighed on profitability.

For the first six months of 2026, the company reported €1.74 billion in revenue, a 7.4% increase over the prior-year period. Deliveries declined 4.6% to 5,422 vehicles, while operating profit reached €395 million and operating margin was 22.7%. Revenue growth and weaker volumes could therefore coexist within the same reporting period.

Automobili Lamborghini remains based in Sant’Agata Bolognese and operates within Volkswagen Group’s Audi-directed organization. Although the business is frequently described simply as Audi-owned, its June 2026 organizational disclosure names Volkswagen Finance Luxembourg as the direct shareholder. Stephan Winkelmann is chairman and CEO, having returned to lead the company in December 2020.

From Ferruccio’s original grand touring ambition to the Miura, Countach, changing owners, wider product range and plug-in-hybrid lineup, Lamborghini’s history has involved repeated changes in both its cars and its business structure. The ongoing question in 2026 is how management will balance the marque’s established supercar identity, the scale added by SUVs and an evolving approach to electrification.

Timeline

These milestones trace Lamborghini’s evolution from its founding grand tourer to its hybrid lineup and revised electric-vehicle plans.

May 7, 1963

Ferruccio Lamborghini founds the automobile company at Sant’Agata Bolognese.

1964

The 350 GT production grand tourer debuts after the 1963 350 GTV prototype.

1966

The mid-engine Miura is introduced.

1971–1974

The Countach LP500 concept appears in 1971; the production LP400 debuts in 1974. Ferruccio sells his company interests in stages during 1972–74.

Late 1970s–1981

Lamborghini faces bankruptcy and compulsory liquidation in the late 1970s, followed by Mimran Group ownership in 1981.

1987–1994

Chrysler buys Lamborghini in 1987; the V12 Diablo arrives in 1990; MegaTech acquires the company in 1994.

July 10, 1998

Audi completes the purchase of Lamborghini within the Volkswagen Group.

2001–2003

The Murciélago and then the Gallardo establish the new-era flagship and smaller-supercar lineup.

2011–2014

The Aventador and Huracán are introduced.

2018

The Urus expands the regular range into high-performance SUVs.

2023–2024

The Revuelto, Urus SE and Temerario are unveiled as plug-in hybrids.

2025

Lamborghini reports record deliveries of 10,747 vehicles and €3.20 billion in revenue.

2026

Temerario customer deliveries begin. Management drops its earlier battery-electric Lanzador plan in favor of a proposed plug-in-hybrid direction.

FAQs

Question: Who founded Lamborghini, and when?

Answer: Ferruccio Lamborghini founded the automobile manufacturer on May 7, 1963, in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy. His earlier tractor and heating businesses were separate enterprises.

Question: Did an insult from Enzo Ferrari cause Lamborghini to start making cars?

Answer: The famous argument is a disputed origin story, with differing versions of the alleged exchange. Ferruccio’s ambition to build a more satisfying grand tourer is established, but the reported insult cannot be treated as the proven sole cause.

Question: Is Lamborghini owned by Audi or Volkswagen?

Answer: Lamborghini belongs to the Volkswagen Group and operates under AUDI AG’s direction and coordination. Its June 2026 corporate disclosure identifies Volkswagen Finance Luxembourg, rather than Audi directly, as the 100% shareholder.

Question: Did Lamborghini go bankrupt?

Answer: Yes. Lamborghini faced bankruptcy and compulsory liquidation in the late 1970s. The business later continued under the Mimran Group and subsequent owners before Audi acquired it in 1998.

Question: Was the Urus Lamborghini’s first off-road vehicle?

Answer: No. Lamborghini introduced the LM002 performance off-roader in 1986. The Urus, launched in 2018, represented a different, modern high-performance SUV addition to its regular product range.

Question: Are Lamborghini’s current cars fully electric?

Answer: No. As of November 9, 2026, its three principal production families—Revuelto, Urus SE and Temerario—are plug-in hybrids. Management changed the plan for its proposed first battery-electric fourth model into a plug-in-hybrid project.

Interviews & Firsthand Resources

Stephan Winkelmann on Lamborghini’s Electric-Vehicle Strategy

In a February 2026 WIRED interview, CEO Stephan Winkelmann discussed Lamborghini’s decision to move away from a proposed fully electric luxury model. The conversation offers a firsthand explanation of management’s view of buyer interest and the changing product strategy. His perspective helps explain the decision without establishing that all luxury-car customers share those preferences.

Read the WIRED interview

Management Comments on Lamborghini’s 2025 Results

Reuters covered Lamborghini’s March 2026 results briefing, including remarks about U.S. tariffs, profitability and electric-vehicle plans. The report gives readers a contemporaneous account of how company leadership described the pressures facing the business after record revenue and deliveries.

Read the Reuters report

Sources

• Automobili Lamborghini: Milestones, Company profile, 2026 Organizational Model
• Volkswagen Group: The History of Lamborghini
• MotorTrend: Myth or Fact: Did Lamborghini Start Building Cars Because of a Ferrari Insult?
• Audi / Lamborghini: 2025 deliveries and revenue results
• Reuters: Lamborghini 2025 profit dented by US tariffs and EV U-turn
• WIRED: Lamborghini Is the Latest Automaker to Pull the Plug on Luxury EVs
• FundingUniverse: History of Automobili Lamborghini Holding S.p.A.