Lamborghini sets global sales record thanks to SUV demand

For the first time in its 60-year history, Italian car-maker Lamborghini sold more than 10,000 vehicles in a calendar year throughout 2023 – despite one of its three models going off sale.

Last year, Lamborghini sold 10,112 cars globally, marking its first venture into five-figure territory since it was founded in 1963 and representing a 10 per cent increase on the previous record of 9233 sales in 2022.

According to Lamborghini’s data, this included 263 sales in Australia, however official VFACTS figures show 241 new registrations in 2023 – enough to eclipse its local record of 176 sales the year prior. 

The Lamborghini Urus continued to be the Italian marque’s top seller, with the SUV bringing 6087 sales globally, accounting for 60 per cent of overall demand.

Despite being in the final stages of its life, the V10-powered Huracan supercar managed 3962 sales, while the remaining 63 deliveries came courtesy of the V12-powered Aventador – which ended production in late 2022 – and other special-edition models.

While the upcoming Revuelto supercar – a V12 plug-in hybrid successor to the Aventador – is now underway, the flagship model has wait times of more than 2.5 years.

The Huracan is also due to be replaced this year, as order books for the V10-powered supercar closed in 2023 and a hybrid V8 replacement is expected to be unveiled in the coming months.

Lamborghini will also soon start looking towards an electric-future, with the European Union’s proposed ban on new petrol-powered vehicles due to come into effect by 2035.

While an early exemption to the ban included giving manufacturers who produce less than 10,000 cars annually a one-year extension to meet the requirements, the latest regulations look set to allow the use of synthetic fuels to achieve zero tailpipe emissions.

Lamborghini has been investing in the development of synthetic fuels in recent years, though its efforts are separate to those of fellow Volkswagen-owned performance brand Porsche.