December 3, 2018
The Lamborghini Urus. Image credit: Lamborghini
NEW YORK – Italian automaker Lamborghini wants to keep pushing the envelope of innovation as the luxury automotive industry sees more investment in sport utility vehicles and electric models.
Speaking at Bloomberg's The Year Ahead in Luxury conference on Nov. 29, an executive from Lamborghini explained that as an organization, the automaker always wants the next sports car to be better than the previous iteration. Ideas from across the company's hierarchy have contributed to the marque's success.
"More and more we want to be recognized as a trendsetter in design, in technology, new material and research," said Maurizio Reggiani, chief technology officer at Lamborghini. "We want to create our cars differently than the others."
Forging ahead
One of Mr. Reggiani's biggest accomplishments during his 20-year career at Lamborghini was the launch of the Aventador in 2011.
Lamborghini revealed the 2018 design at last year’s IAA Frankfurt during the press events leading up to the official show, releasing a spot alongside it. In the vignette, the supercar brand evokes the feeling of an enhanced multisensory experience when driving its new roadster (see story).
Maurizio Reggiani speaks at Bloomberg's The Year Ahead In Luxury event
"The super sport car tradition is part of [Lamborghini’s] heritage, but it’s clear we need to look forward," Mr. Reggiani said. "Can a futuristic car be a Lamborghini?"
Speaking to Hannah Elliott, car columnist at Bloomberg Pursuits, Mr. Reggiani elaborated on the impact Lamborghini's collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has had on the automaker.
The Cambridge, MA, university’s MIT-Italy program allows more than 100 students at both the graduate and undergraduate levels to research, work and teach in Italy.
Students and faculty work alongside Lamborghini engineers to exchange ideas, workshop and collaborate on projects. The end goal is establishing a super sports car that is ready for the rest of the 21st century (see story).
The Lamborghini team at MIT. Image courtesy of Lamborghini
With his background in engineering, problem-solving is one of Mr. Reggiani's major job responsibilities.
"When a solution is super complex, you have a problem because it’s difficult to manage," he said. "If a solution is more simple, it is difficult to trust that it will make a huge difference."
Driving forward
As the automotive industry continues to evolve, Lamborghini needs to balance its brand heritage with changing expectations.
Automakers including Jaguar and Audi have introduced their own electrical vehicles to as a response to consumer demands and environmentally-conscious government regulations.
This spring, Lamborghini shared an electric sportscar at the Geneva Motor Show. The Terzo Milennio has details, design and technology reflective of a car from the future, such as a body shell that can repair itself and supercapacitors instead of batteries (see story).
An earlier concept car, the Lamborghini Asterion LPI 910-4, looks to maintain the brand's quintessential power while staying mindful of environmental trends. The hybrid car has 900 horsepower, can reach 62 miles in three seconds and has a top speed 0f 199 miles per hour (see story).
"If you don’t crash, you don’t know the edge of your own limits," Mr. Reggiani said.
Share your thoughts. Click here
