Andrea-Baldi-1

Lamborghini CEO Speaks From The Bully Pulpit

Its newest offering contains a near thousand-horsepower engine. No wonder Lamborghini’s spirit animal’s a charging bull. Founder of this ultimate-premium brand, Ferruccio Lamborghini was “born under the sign of the bull” says Andrea Baldi CEO of the Americas, Automobili Lamborghini. Ferruccio was a Taurus. Baldi was in Toronto.

Temerario-Canadian-Debut-Andrea-Baldi
Andrea Baldi- Temerario Canadian Debut

In mid-April, Baldi was here promoting Ferruccio’s legacy. He spoke to Vicarious for about a half hour and, when first asked, was happy to explain the bullishness of his brand. His English is good, his presentation style is excellent, his passion for all things Lambo, unparalleled. It was a sort of bully pulpit.

“In his early life, Ferruccio Lamborghini became fascinated by the culture and history of corridas (Spanish bullfighting). He became passionate and fascinated more by the bravery of the bulls rather than the toreros.” Hence, that angry about-to-charge bull in the company logo.

And hence the names of many Lambo models named after famous corridas bulls, including their newest, the twin-turbo V8 hybrid Temerario.

Temerario-Canadian-preview
Lamborghini Temerario

Not easy for anglophones to say and doubtless harder to wrangle, Temerario was also the name of a legendary fighting bull in 1875. It translates better to fierce or courageous than the slightly pejorative English word, temerarious. Anyway, the name’s a reminder or warning of the over 900 bullpower you’re harnessing if you get behind the wheel. Best get some wrangling lessons.

Early in the interview, Baldi takes a minute to stress that Canada and especially the Greater Toronto Region “are among Lamborghini’s top 10 markets worldwide.” Remember it’s mid-April 2025.

We discussed the rash of luxury car thefts in the GTA over the past few years.

Lamborghini-Temerario-Canadian-Debut
Lamborghini Temerario Canadian Debut

The trend reached fever pitch in 2024, leading to that loud national and provincial government response against the violent perpetrators of home invasions, who were stealing supercars like Lambos. That must have supercar manufacturers like Baldi concerned.

He was quick to point that it wasn’t just the cars that thieves were targeting. “Specialty segments in the last 5-7 years in Canada have really grown a lot. So, there were more and more luxury cars, even in relatively small numbers, but other goods.”

Lamborghini Temerario Canadian Debut
Lamborghini Temerario Canadian Debut

Baldi questioned the intelligence of the thieves. “At the end of the day, stealing a watch is easier than stealing a car. What are they gonna do with a supercar that’s stolen? It’s naive that they would even perpetrate the crime.”

That’s a good point. You’re gonna have problems fencing a Lambo on Facebook Marketplace. No wonder the number of thefts has declined significantly since last year.

“We’ve been concerned for the safety of our clients. It seems that it was a spike last year and the number seems to have normalized.” He closes the topic with “I think Canada is a very safe place general.”

Lamborghini Temerario Canadian Debut
Lamborghini Temerario Canadian Debut

What do we discuss next? Again, remember it’s mid-April 2025…

How will the Bull hold up against that elephant in the room, sporting orange makeup?

Baldi doesn’t know about the short-term economy but obviously hopes for the best. Mind, he doesn’t seem to be losing sleep. After all, the demand for their products far outstrips the company’s ability to produce. It’s simply how Lamborghini does business. All cars are made in the Sant’Agata Bolognese factory and there just aren’t enough super-skilled workers available to maximize production much further.

It can take years to build a Lambo on order. Indeed, they’ve sold plenty Temerarios already and produced none so far. So, Lambo seems well positioned to weather a tough economy relative to many other luxury brands.

Lamborghini Temerario Canadian Debut
Lamborghini Temerario Canadian Debut

“If you look at our customer base, 99% of our clients are business owners and CEOs. They are high performance people that have dreams to fulfill. They can own up to nine cars in their collection, several not Lamborghini.

“Normally their success is also connected to the economy and for all these reasons, we will look very closely to what will be the economic transition we have observed in the last couple of years.” Translation? Que sera sera, as any open-eyed bullfighter would say.

The fact that Temerario buyers are waiting three years for that dream fulfillment leads to another question…

Lamborghini Temerario Canadian Debut
Lamborghini Temerario Canadian Debut

How do they keep buyers salivating over those years it takes to build their car?

In short, by living their brand. Baldi and company are deeply imbedded in their customers’ lives, taking a staggered approach to constant dialogue.

First: Many of their customers have “more than one order in their pipeline” with one Lamborghini coming close to fruition while the other kicks off. “We have three product lines, each one at a different stage of its (sales) cycle plan where we have derivatives along 10 or 11 years. So, in reality the clients remain extremely engaged because there’s almost always new cars to look forward to while another one is maybe just arriving.”

Lamborghini Temerario Canadian Debut
Lamborghini Temerario Canadian Debut

And while they ARE waiting? “We organize a lot of events, experiences where the clients can drive their own cars AND join us, trying cars that belong to us.” These events include expert instruction “because we don’t want them to feel afraid about bringing the car to its character limits or damaging it in the drive.” Moreover, many of these events take place in remarkable settings.

For instance, picture yourself driving a supercar up that almost vertical rocky desert in Utah’s Zion National Park.

Or skating one across a frozen lake in the Italian Alps, the tires studded with spikes. “You can imagine what you can do with 1000 horsepower on ice that’s been prepared.

Lamborghini Temerario Canadian Debut
Lamborghini Temerario Canadian Debut

“Whether these events are organized by Lamborghini for our clients or by our dealers on a smaller scale, we have a pretty busy agenda to keep them engaged.”

There’s more. “Throughout the year, we try to also make sure that they get updated about the status of their production.”  For instance, “They will receive, at one point, a scale model, 1 to 18, that is exactly a replica in the interior and exterior of the car that they have ordered.”

Hello, eBay!

Speaking of engagement, our time was running out. Just a couple of minutes for some rapid fire questions. Last time we met, I asked Baldi for his favourite Spice Girl — a real stumper. This time, he got a soft ball.

Lamborghini Temerario Canadian Debut
Lamborghini Temerario Canadian Debut

What time of day should people stop putting milk in their coffee?

Context: Many Italian people are passionate about luxury brands like Lamborghini, but ALL Italians are ardent about the right way to drink coffee. They’re aghast when they see us tourists asking for a law-tay after lunch, or worse, in the evening.

“Probably 11 o’clock but no later!” he mock-rages. “Maybe a slight macchiato with lunch … but something like a cappuccino any time after breakfast? … It is unthinkable!!”

What’s the difference between a would-be customer (aka fan) and an actual customer?

“You know, there are millions of fans who admire the brand, the beauty and the associated lifestyle.” I expected to hear that there’s no difference between and owners them but income. Wrong.

Lamborghini Temerario Canadian Debut
Lamborghini Temerario Canadian Debut

“Lamborghini is an emotion” which he says can only be experienced behind the wheel. “The fans admire the luxury and lifestyle.” For the owners, Baldi says, it’s not about being seen in one, it’s about operating one. Which you can’t do just by buying a t-shirt.

So, if you want to live the life, bully for you!

You can start by saving your loonies and ending milk in your coffee after around 10am. And if the day you become an owner never happens? maybe you were just born under bad a sign.

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