You heard that right, the Italian automaker, Lamborghini known for its performance oriented cars can be seen foraying into the commercial vehicle segment in India by introducing a range of tractors. Actually, the Lamborghini brand came into existence starting with its tractor building business during World War 2, when Mr. Ferruccio Lamborghini came up with Lamborghini Trattori brand which became one of the largest agricultural equipment manufacturers during 1950s. Later, in 1960s the Lamborghini brand saw introduction of sports cars taking cues from Ferrari and Maserati.
The Italian manufacturer is now emphasizing on its range of tractors and considering the introduction of premium tractors in India. The Lamborghini tractors are now a part of SAME Deutz-Fahr (SDF) Group targeting rich farmers, high-profile individuals with farming interests and also utilisation in golf courses, cricket stadiums and luxury resorts. According to the company, they are currently studying the Indian market and can come up with a range of tractors in about a year but the pricing cannot be confirmed yet as the models to be introduced are not decided.
SAME Deutz-Fahr Group already has a manufacturing facility of tractors in India at Ranipet in Tamil Nadu. The group made 6000 tractors in India last year and out of those, 800 tractors were equipped with Lamborghini technology and were exported to Europe and Malaysia. The tractors made in India are localized to a great extent with components like the tyres and battery being supplied by local vendors. The Lamborghini branded tractors cost more than Rs. 10 lakhs in the export markets but looking at the level of localization, the SDF group should be positioning their range of tractors below the Rs. 10 lakh mark.
Source – The Hindu Business Line