Lamborghini has changed hands more than a few times since it was founded as a way to show up Ferrari in 1963. It’s currently owned by Volkswagen Group, which recently made it clear that it has no intention of selling the brand.
The Anglo-Swiss Quantum Group reportedly made an offer to buy the raging bull from VW for an appetizing €7.5 billion ($9.16 billion USD), including a five-year deal where it would continue sourcing parts from Audi — as there’s basically no way around it without nuking the present lineup. The proposal was made earlier in the month with Volkswagen Group giving the newly established holding company a prompt no.
Lamborghini has become far too profitable to consider selling — especially since its profits grew to a lofty $1.96 billion in 2019, despite the company having manufactured fewer than 8,000 automobiles. Volkswagen would have effectively been selling a golden goose. Though Quantum Group’s deal still looks good on paper and there were rumors that VW was looking to offload the supercar brand a few months ago.
In addition to the payout, the deal called for a partnership relating to the sharing of intellectual property and electric vehicle technology. According to Autocar, there was also to be an “Advanced Automotive Innovation Centre” located in Germany’s Lower Saxony focusing on the shared development and production of battery cells and battery packs. The holding company similarly wanted to develop autonomous systems and alternative fueling solutions, all of which would have allegedly benefited Volkswagen Group. The deal even vowed to maintain all existing Lamborghini jobs for at least five years, with a promise to add roughly 850 new positions via the planned R&D center.
From Autocar:
Quantum Group AG is represented in the acquisition offer for Lamborghini by Rea Stark, a co-founder of Piech Automotive[sic], the Zurich-based company behind the Piëch Mark Zero GT revealed at the 2019 Geneva motor show.
Also among Piëch Automotive executives are Anton Piëch, son of former Volkswagen Group chairman Ferdinand Piëch, and ex-Porsche CEO Matthias Müller. However, it is not known at this stage if they are involved in the acquisition offer.
The acquisition of Automobili Lamborghini, including its storied Sant’Agata manufacturing headquarters in Italy as well as its motorsport operations, is claimed to be central to the investment interests of Quantum Group AG, which is seeking discussions with the Volkswagen Group as a formal step towards carrying out initial due diligence on the company.
Beyond the list of familiar names, none of the above matters since the deal has been struck down by Volkswagen. Though it remains curious as to why such a comprehensive proposal was put together in the first place if VW was serious when it denied that Lamborghini was on the market in December of 2020.
[Image: Grisha Bruev/Shutterstock]
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