Stephan Winkelmann Leaves Lamborghini to Head Quattro GmbH

After leading Lamborghini for more than 11 years, Stephan Winkelmann will head quattro GmbH starting next month. Stefano Domenicali will take his place as the new president and CEO of Lamborghini.

Under Winkelmann’s leadership, Lamborghini tripled the number of its dealerships over the past decade. As the new CEO of quattro, Winkelmann will be in charge of Audi’s high-performance R and RS models. He will also be tasked with creating a clearer direction for the entire Audi Sport brand, which includes Audi’s racing efforts. He succeeds Heinz Hollerweger, who is retiring after almost 40 years with Audi.

Stepping up to lead Lamborghini is Domenicali, who previously served as vice president of New Business Initiatives at Audi AG since November 2014. Before that, he was team principal for Ferrari’s Formula 1 team, and he remains president of the FIA Single Seater Commision today. He joins Lamborghini as the brand prepares to launch the Urus SUV in 2018.

Both Winkelmann and Domenicali take their new posts starting March 15. The switchover comes at an interesting time as rumors say Volkswagen Group may have to sell Lamborghini. The company recently secured a $21.1 billion loan for costs related to its diesel emissions scandal, but it only has one year to pay it off. If the company fails to cough up enough cash by then, VW may have to divests assets like Lamborghini, Bentley, and Ducati.

Source: Audi, Lamborghini

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