Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A.
Acquisitions
5
Major Deals Covered
$857M
Disclosed Deal Value
Lamborghini's largest disclosed acquisition here is Ducati Motor Holding for $747M in 2012. This page covers 5 major deals from 1972 to 2012, each with its price where disclosed and the reason behind it.
| Company | Year | Price | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georges-Henri Rossetti (51% stake) | 1972 | Undisclosed | Financial pressure from a failed tractor-export deal forced founder Ferruccio Lamborghini to sell 51% control of Automobili Lamborghini to Swiss businessman Georges-Henri Rossetti for about $600,000. |
| Chrysler Corporation | 1987 | Undisclosed | After brothers Jean-Claude and Patrick Mimran restructured Lamborghini out of its 1978 bankruptcy through a 1980 receivership, they sold the company to Chrysler Corporation in 1987. |
| Lamborghini (by Audi AG / Volkswagen Group) | 1998 | $110.0M | Audi AG, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, acquired Lamborghini from the Indonesian and Malaysian ownership group V'Power and Mycom Setdco for about $110 million, driven by Ferdinand Piech's recognition of the brand's potential to compete with Ferrari and Porsche. |
| Italdesign Giugiaro (90.1% stake) | 2010 | Undisclosed | Lamborghini, acting for Audi, acquired 90.1% of the Turin-area design and engineering firm founded by Giorgetto Giugiaro. |
| Ducati Motor Holding | 2012 | $747.0M | Audi acquired 100% of the voting rights in Bologna motorcycle maker Ducati via Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. for a purchase price of ~$844 million (EUR 747 million). |
2012
$747M
Audi acquired 100% of the voting rights in Bologna motorcycle maker Ducati via Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. for a purchase price of ~$844 million (EUR 747 million).
Made Lamborghini the holding company for Ducati within the Audi Group.
Ducati remains owned through Lamborghini and part of the Audi Group brand portfolio.
2010
Lamborghini, acting for Audi, acquired 90.1% of the Turin-area design and engineering firm founded by Giorgetto Giugiaro.
Gave the Audi Group in-house design and prototype engineering capacity.
In December 2025 Audi agreed to sell a majority stake in Italdesign to UST, with Lamborghini keeping a significant minority stake.
1998
$110M
Audi AG, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, acquired Lamborghini from the Indonesian and Malaysian ownership group V'Power and Mycom Setdco for about $110 million, driven by Ferdinand Piech's recognition of the brand's potential to compete with Ferrari and Porsche.
Provided Lamborghini with the financial stability, engineering resources, and shared platform architectures needed to compete consistently with Ferrari, transforming it from a financially fragile boutique manufacturer into a globally recognized luxury brand.
Under Volkswagen Group ownership Lamborghini launched the Murcielago, Gallardo, Aventador, Huracan, and Urus, reaching ~$3.62 billion (EUR 3.20 billion) in revenue in 2025.
1987
After brothers Jean-Claude and Patrick Mimran restructured Lamborghini out of its 1978 bankruptcy through a 1980 receivership, they sold the company to Chrysler Corporation in 1987.
Gave Lamborghini access to a major US automaker's capital and manufacturing expertise after years of financial instability.
Chrysler owned Lamborghini until 1994, funding the Diablo, before selling it to the Indonesian-controlled Megatech group, which sold it to Audi in 1998.
1972
Financial pressure from a failed tractor-export deal forced founder Ferruccio Lamborghini to sell 51% control of Automobili Lamborghini to Swiss businessman Georges-Henri Rossetti for about $600,000.
Ended Ferruccio's controlling ownership of the company that bore his name.
Rossetti's ownership, and Rene Leimer's purchase of Ferruccio's remaining 49% in 1974, coincided with the 1973 oil crisis and a slump in demand for high-performance cars, and the company entered bankruptcy in 1978.
Under the Direzione Cor Tauri plan announced in 2021 (more than $1.69 billion (EUR 1.5 billion) of investment), Lamborghini hybridized its whole range: the Revuelto in 2023, then the Urus SE and Temerario in 2024. In February 2026 CEO Stephan Winkelmann said the battery-electric Lanzador had been dropped because demand for electric supercars was 'close to zero'. The Lanzador is now planned as a plug-in hybrid. Growth now depends on mix, personalization, and pricing rather than large volume increases.
Lamborghini makes money by building a small number of very expensive cars and raising the value of each one. The range has three model lines, all plug-in hybrids since 2025: the Urus SE super SUV (the volume model), the Temerario twin-turbo V8 supercar that replaced the Huracan, and the Revuelto V12 flagship. Ad Personam personalization adds high-margin options; in 2025, 94% of delivered cars were personalized in at least one element. Limited 'Few-Off' editions, aftersales, the Squadra Corse racing business, and brand licensing add further revenue. Lamborghini controls supply so demand stays ahead of production, and it shares platforms, purchasing, and technology with Audi and the wider Volkswagen Group.
In 1998, under the leadership of Volkswagen Group Chairman Ferdinand Piëch, Audi AG acquired Automobili Lamborghini for approximately $110 million, providing large engineering capital, modern manufacturing discipline, and platform scale.
Following Ferruccio's exit, Lamborghini passed through multiple owners: Swiss investors Rossetti and Leimer (1972 to 1978), receivership under the Mimran brothers (1980 to 1987), Chrysler Corporation (1987 to 1994, which launched the Diablo), and Indonesian consortium MegaTech (1994 to 1998).
Chrysler Corporation (under CEO Lee Iacocca) invested vital capital into developing the 200+ mph Lamborghini Diablo, funded Lamborghini's Formula 1 V12 engine program, and refined corporate financial controls before selling the company in 1994.
Lamborghini develops its own engines, carbon-fiber structures, and hybrid systems in Sant'Agata Bolognese while drawing on Audi Group technology. Its two notable holdings, Ducati and Italdesign, were bought on behalf of the Audi Group.
In 2010, Lamborghini established the Advanced Composite Structures Laboratory (ACSL) in Seattle, Washington, partnering with Boeing and the University of Washington to co-develop advanced forged carbon fiber and crash simulation modeling.
To launch the Urus Super SUV in 2018, Lamborghini doubled its Sant'Agata Bolognese production facility from 80,000 to 160,000 square meters, constructing a new 'Manifattura Lamborghini' assembly line, paint shop, and test track.
Yes. Audi acquired Ducati in 2012 via Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. for ~$844 million (EUR 747 million), and Lamborghini took 90.1% of Italdesign Giugiaro in 2010. Audi agreed in December 2025 to sell a majority of Italdesign to UST, with Lamborghini keeping a minority stake.
Lamborghini collaborates with world-leading research institutions, including a multi-year partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to research supercapacitor energy storage and self-healing carbon fiber body panels.
No, Lamborghini does not acquire companies; they are the acquisition. As a subsidiary of Audi (Volkswagen Group), their massive strategic advantage is "platform sharing." The massively profitable Lamborghini Urus actually shares its core underlying chassis and electrical architecture with the Porsche Cayenne, Audi Q8, and Bentley Bentayga, saving Lamborghini billions in fundamental R&D costs.
Compare corporate acquisition records, deal values, and strategic targets
Explore Lamborghini
Core profile pages, founders and related research hubs for this company.