Lamborghini brings supercar life-style to Busan

Automobili Lamborghini has opened a brand new flagship showroom in Busan, underscoring its confidence in Korea’s fast-growing luxurious automobile market.

The Italian supercar maker’s new facility within the metropolis’s prosperous Centum district spans three flooring and a couple of,710 sq. meters, making it one of many model’s largest worldwide and the second-largest in Asia after Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It will function Lamborghini’s hub for gross sales and customer support throughout southern Korea.

“Busan is Korea’s second city. It has a big population and people here are incredibly trend-sensitive — not just in fashion, but in cars as well. That made Busan the natural next step,” mentioned Federico Foschini, chief advertising and gross sales officer, throughout a gaggle interview Monday to mark the opening. He was joined by Francesco Scardaoni, regional director for Asia-Pacific.

Lamborghini entered Korea in 2015 and has since seen gross sales soar from simply 4 items that yr to 487 in 2024. Even in 2024, when many imported manufacturers struggled with provide chain bottlenecks and a slowing financial system, Lamborghini gross sales rose.

Korea now ranks as Lamborghini’s seventh-largest market worldwide, and Busan accounts for a rising share. According to the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association, Lamborghini offered 147 autos within the metropolis between January and July, greater than half of its nationwide gross sales of 263 items in the course of the interval.

“In terms of sales share, ideally this showroom will account for about one-third of Lamborghini Korea’s total revenue, possibly more,” mentioned Scardaoni. “In the long run, we’d like to balance things closer to fifty-fifty with the capital region.”

The new Busan showroom is positioned alongside a large boulevard in Haeundae-gu, the place many different luxurious manufacturers cluster. The transfer displays Lamborghini’s perception that its automobiles ought to be skilled on the highway fairly than solely admired in a showroom.

“Real test drives are what we think is most important,” mentioned Foschini. “Our cars are about performance as much as design, so we needed a place where customers and potential buyers could experience that firsthand.”

The model, he added, prioritizes product-driven advertising over elaborate campaigns. “The main focus is always on the product and making it stand out — giving people opportunities for test drives, expanding the experiences we offer and making them feel part of the Lamborghini family.”

Executives say Korea’s urge for food for tremendous sports activities automobiles is outpacing Japan’s once-dominant market. “Japan’s market is larger, but its growth rate is flat. Korea may not have the same entrenched culture yet, but demand is growing fast. I honestly think it’s only a matter of time before Korea surpasses Japan in certain aspects,” Foschini mentioned.

That momentum has fueled Lamborghini’s fast enlargement. The Busan launch comes only a yr after opening a showroom in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, including to 2 present places in Seoul.

Beyond gross sales, Lamborghini plans to make Busan a service hub for patrons throughout southern Korea, lots of whom beforehand traveled to Seoul. The facility contains six service bays and can host coaching packages combining experience from Italy, Japan, China and Singapore.

“Korea is an incredibly important market for us, and we want to enhance the brand experience nationwide,” Scardaoni mentioned.

forestjs@heraldcorp.com