When Stephan Winkelmann unveiled the Lamborghini Centenario at the 86th Geneva Motor Show in March 2016, it would be the last Raging Bull he introduced, at that press conference we got to see Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board Management of AUDI AG, bringing Stefano Domenicali onto the stage as the successor to Winkelmann as President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini SpA, March 15, 2016 was Winkelmann’s last day at Sant’Agata as he became the head of Audi’s Sport division before he became President of Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. on January 1 2018.

Winkelmann and Domenicali are about the same age, Stephan Winkelmann was born in Berlin on October 18, 1964 but grew up in Rome, while Stefano Domenicali was born on 11 May 1965 in Imola. Stephan Winkelmann became President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini SpA on January 1 2005, taking over the reign from Giuseppe Greco (who had been CEO since 1999), and would take Lamborghini to the next level in terms of production and profitability over a period of ten years before Domenicali took over in early 2016.

Now it seems Winkelmann will return to Lamborghini after being way for 5 years, as Stefano Domenicali leaves to join the Formula 1 marketer Liberty Media, while being President of Bugatti, Winkelmann was responsible for the Divo and the Centodieci, but also La Voiture Noir, and recently the ‘Bolide’ …so will we be seeing a similar aproach being implemented at Lamborghini when he takes over?

Let’s not forget just about the entire current line-up from Sant’Agata has been developed while Stephan Winkelmann was heading the company, the Aventador in 2011, the Huracan in 2014, and naturally the Urus Concept he unveiled at the 2012 Beijing show, the Urus production version was only unveiled at the end  of 2017, but just about the entire development was overseen while Winkelmann was at the helm.

So what does he come back to at Lamborghini after five years? The Aventador replacement has been confirmed and development is 99% done, so he won’t be able to have much else to do on the flagship model, but there is still the Huracan successor that is under development as we speak, so he might be able to influence the new V10 model, just as with the Urus which is still in it’s initial version at this moment, so there are still oportunities for additional version of the Super SUV, and the mid-life facelift … and let’s not forget the rumors about a fourth model to the list, a Lamborghini GT is still in the planning too.

So it’s safe to say Stephan Winkelmann will have lots to do when he returns to Automobili Lamborghini SpA, even if Audi AG decides to go public with it, as they also intend to do with Ducati and Ital Design, in 2022, while they will retain the majority of shares naturally. For the moment Stephan Winkelmann could become both CEO at Lamborghini and remain president at Bugatti … but what if Bugatti is sold to Rimac … in that case things could quickly change…

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Stephan Winkelmann was able to make a serious difference at this Italian company in Sant’Agata, over a period of 11 years (from 2004 to 2025) the number of cars that left the factory gates went from 1,592 in 2004 to a massive 3,245 in 2015 while the number of employees came from 726 in 2004 to about 1,300 today … the company has been growing and becoming more important for Italy every since.

Stephan Winkelmann stepped in when the V10 Gallardo was just introduced in 2003 and the flagship Murciélago was on the market since 2001 … in the years to come he would oversee the release of several variations of both the V10 and the V12 model and be responsible for their successors … replacing the Murciélago with the Aventador in 2011 would turn out to be a massive success braking sales records at Sant’Agata, but probably the most stressful period would be when the Gallardo had to be replaced … the Huracan LP610-4 was able to take over the V10 segment with flying colors … setting new sales records once again.

Note that the Blancpain Super Trofeo series were also inaugurated under leadership of Stephan Winkelmann, together with the new GT3 involvement … the Accademia and Esperienza programs were setup and an impressive Collezione Automobili Lamborghini would make the Lamborghini name even more famous.

Automobili Lamborghini SpA managed to receive several important awards, most recently the Top Employer 2016 certification in Italy while on a more personal note Stephan Winkelmann received the title of Knight Grand Cross from President Giorgio Napolitano in May 2014, the highest honor in the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.

After 11 years Stephan Winkelmann will become CEO at Quattro GmbH, the sports division of Audi AG … effective on March 15 2016 his position at Lamborghini will be taken over by Stefano Domenicali.

Stefano Domenicali will become the new President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini SpA in mid-May after being Vice President of New Business Initiatives at Audi AG since November 2014 and before that he represented Ferrari in the F.I.A. World Motor Sport Council … in fact Domenicali is currently still president of the F.I.A. Single Seater Commission.

Born in Imola on May 11 1965, Stefano Domenicali studied business administration at the University of Bologna were he graduated in 1991 to start his carreed at Ferrari in the finance department, two years later he moved to the famous Scuderia Ferrari as Head of Business Planning … and became director of the Mugello track (owned by Ferrari by the way). Before becoming the director of the Ferrari F1 team in 1998 he attracted sponsors to Scuderia Ferrari and from 2004 to 2007 he was head of Direzione Sportiva F1.

By 2008 Domenicali had become Team Principal at Scuderia Ferrari F1 and win the Constructor’s World Championship the same year only to move onto representing Ferrari in the F.I.A. in 2009 … seven years later he would become President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini SpA …

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He succeeds Stephan Winkelmann, who was responsible for the Sant’Agata Bolognese company’s major turnaround

Stefano Domenicali will become the new President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini on March 15, 2016. He succeeds Stephan Winkelmann, who will take over as CEO of sports Audi affiliate quattro GmbH.

“Over the past eleven years Stephan Winkelmann has transformed Lamborghini into a global leader in the manufacture of super sports cars. His successor, who also possesses a wealth of experience in this area, will be continuing this success,” says Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board Management of AUDI AG and Chairman of the Administrative Board of Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A.

Stefano Domenicali, born on 11 May 1965 in Imola, graduated in 1991 after studying business administration at the University of Bologna and began his professional career in finance with Ferrari. In 1993 he moved to Scuderia Ferrari, where he took over as Head of Business Planning. He was also director of the Mugello circuit, which belongs to Ferrari. From 1996, Domenicali was responsible for sponsors of Scuderia Ferrari, before becoming sporting director of the Formula 1 team in 1998. From 2004 to 2007 he headed the Direzione Sportiva F1. In 2008 he was Team Principal of Scuderia Ferrari F1, which won the Constructors’ World Championship that year. From 2009 to 2014 Domenicali represented Ferrari in the F.I.A World Motor Sport Council and still belongs to that body today. He is currently president of the F.I.A. Single Seater Commission.

He has been Vice President New Business Initiatives at AUDI AG since November 2014.

In 2002 he received the order of merit of the Italian Republic, the Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana.

Stefano Domenicali says: “I am very excited to be taking on the challenges of this great legacy. It is now my duty to continue the successes that my predecessor Stephan Winkelmann achieved for Automobili Lamborghini.”

Stephan Winkelmann comments: “I have been responsible for Lamborghini for a significant period of time in its history, and in the process have always aimed to use the brand’s potential to achieve very ambitious goals.
Lamborghini’s key corporate data displays continual, profitable growth with a focus on the development of new products, new processes, and many other corporate sectors. Together with my colleagues from the Board of Directors, I was able to facilitate successful initial release of our third model series being launched in 2018. These successes would not have been possible without the passion, skill, creativity, and courage that are ingrained in the Lamborghini DNA and in our employees. I would like to thank everyone for this time from the bottom of my heart.”

Winkelmann was born in Berlin on 18 October 1964 and grew up in Rome. He held a variety of senior positions in the Fiat Group heading up operations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland before being appointed President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini in 2005.

Between 2004 and 2015 the sales figures at Lamborghini more than doubled, and the turnover more than tripled. The dealer network has also tripled in size and now encompasses 135 dealers in 50 countries. During this time the number of employees, today 1,300, practically doubled.

Models introduced under Winkelmann, starting with derivatives of the Gallardo and ranging through to the V10 Huracán and V12 Aventador as well as limited editions and one-offs, set numerous new sales records.

In 2015 the third model line was announced, the luxury SUV “Urus”, to be constructed in Sant’Agata Bolognese starting from 2018, and marking the beginning of a new era for the company.

Raising the profile of the brand was another focus under Winkelmann’s leadership, with numerous successful initiatives launched. These included motor sports activities, encompassing the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo single-make series, the GT3 championship, and the instructional driving courses Accademia and Esperienza, but also the establishment of the fashion line Collezione Automobili Lamborghini.

Winkelmann’s strategy was also aimed at taking care of ethical corporate responsibilities such as sustainable development of business and society while always keeping ecological issues in mind. In 2015, the CO2-neutral manufacturing certification for the entire Lamborghini factory at the historic Sant’Agata Bolognese location, became the most recent success of this strategy’s implementation.

Under Winkelmann’s leadership Lamborghini became an increasingly attractive employer and received numerous awards, one of these being the Top Employer Italia 2016 certification. These results are in part due to the participative model under which constant dialog and collaboration form the basis for relations with the trade unions.

In May 2014 President Giorgio Napolitano recognized Winkelmann with the title of Knight Grand Cross, the highest-ranking honor in the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, for his service as the CEO of one of the most significant Italian companies.

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