‘We Sell Scarcity:’ How Lamborghini Continues to Stay So Cool

Bold Names

The Wall Street Journal

Technology

4.4 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 6 February 2026

⏱️ 23 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Lamborghinis dominate pop culture – from rap lyrics to blockbuster movies – but the reality is few people actually own them. Every year, the luxury carmaker delivers around 10,000 vehicles worldwide. Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann says that scarcity is central to the brand’s appeal. On Bold Names, Winkelmann joins WSJ’s Tim Higgins to explain how the company leans into exclusivity, why it’s choosing hybrids over a fully electric future, and how tariffs and global trade pressures are challenging the business. To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com. Check Out Past Episodes: How SAP's CEO Is Remaking the European Tech Giant For The Age Of AI Affirm’s Max Levchin: Why ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ Beats Credit Cards How Athletic Brewing Sells Beer for a Post-Alcohol Generation Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at BoldNames@wsj.com. Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Read Tim Higgins’s column. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This week on Bold Names, he's the CEO of Lamborghini, Stefan Vinkleman.
0:04.2	His cars are seemingly everywhere, from songs,
0:07.8	to Hollywood blockbusters.
0:12.2	Will you be one in the backpuncher?
0:14.0	In the middle of day, Alfred? Not very subtle.
0:16.2	The Lamborghini day.
0:18.5	Much more subtle.
0:19.7	Even my kid nephew has a couple, toy versions.
0:22.6	But in reality,
0:24.6	Lamborghini only delivers about 10,000 vehicles a year.
0:28.6	So, how does Stefan keep these dream machines so relevant?
0:32.6	That's next.
0:34.6	From the Wall Street Journal, I'm Tim Higgins, and this is Bold Names, where you'll hear from the leaders of the bold name companies featured in the Wall Street Journal.
0:49.9	Stefan, welcome to the show. I'm curious, who is the typical Lamborghini owner?
0:55.7	I have to say that we are getting more and more young people behind the steering wheel of a Lamborghini.
1:04.5	Now, the average age is below 45. The youngest customers we have in Asia, followed by the Americans and the oldest year in Europe.
1:16.1	They are mainly male.
1:17.3	We have around about 7 to 8 percent, also female drivers, which is very welcome.
1:23.8	Most of our customers, they love made in Italy.
1:26.6	They love those type of cars. They're
1:29.1	usually entrepreneurs or CEOs of big companies. But we also have a lot of movie stars,
1:37.4	artists in general, and also sports stars. So we have a bit of all and we have have a lot of funds, even without a driver's license.
	...

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