Lamborghini

Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. is an Italian brand and manufacturer of luxury sportscars and, formerly, SUVs, which is owned by the Volkswagen Group through its subsidiary brand division Audi.

Lamborghini's production facility and headquarters are located in Sant'Agata Bolognese. In 2011, Lamborghini's 831 employees produced 1,711 vehicles.

Manufacturing magnate Italian Ferruccio Lamborghini founded Automobili Ferruccio Lamborghini S.p.A. in 1963 with the objective of producing a refined grand touring car to compete with offerings from established marques such as Ferrari. The company's first models were released in the mid-1960s and were noted for their refinement, power and comfort. Lamborghini gained wide acclaim in 1966 for the Lamborghini Miura sports coupé, which established rear mid-engine, rear wheel drive as the standard layout for high-performance cars of the era.

Lamborghini grew rapidly during its first decade, but sales plunged in the wake of the 1973 worldwide financial downturn and the oil crisis. The firm's ownership changed three times after 1973, including a bankruptcy in 1978. American Chrysler Corporation took control of Lamborghini in 1987 and sold it to Malaysian investment group Mycom Setdco and Indonesian group V'Power Corporation in 1994. In 1998 Mycom Setdco and V'Power sold Lamborghini to the Volkswagen Group where it was placed under the control of the group's Audi division.