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Who Owns Lamborghini Now?
Oct 14, 20261 min read
Lamborghini is owned by Audi AG, which is itself part of the Volkswagen Group. So while Audi is the direct owner, the ultimate parent company is Volkswagen. Audi acquired Lamborghini in 1998, and it has been under the Volkswagen Group ever since. The Lamborghini family hasn't owned the company since the 1970s.
Who owns Lamborghini today?
The short answer: Audi owns Lamborghini, and Audi is owned by the Volkswagen Group. That two-step chain is why you'll see both names associated with the brand — Audi is the direct parent, and Volkswagen Group is the ultimate owner behind it. This structure has been in place since 1998, giving Lamborghini decades of stability and access to the engineering resources of one of the world's largest automotive groups, while keeping its own distinct identity, design, and factory.
It's also why the Huracán shares its V10 and platform with the Audi R8 — a direct result of the sister-brand relationship.
The Lamborghini ownership timeline
Lamborghini's ownership has changed hands several times since its founding. The broad path:
- 1963 — Ferruccio Lamborghini founds the company.
- 1970s — Ferruccio sells his stake; the company passes through new owners during a difficult period.
- 1987 — Chrysler acquires Lamborghini.
- 1994 — ownership passes to an investment group (linked to Malaysian and Indonesian interests).
- 1998 — Audi (Volkswagen Group) acquires Lamborghini — where it remains today.
The 1998 Audi acquisition is the turning point: it ended years of instability and began the modern, successful era of the brand.
Why the Volkswagen Group ownership matters
Being part of the Volkswagen Group transformed Lamborghini. Before 1998, the company had bounced between owners and struggled financially. Under Audi and VW, it gained the investment, engineering, and quality processes to grow into the consistently profitable, high-volume (by supercar standards) brand it is today — launching the Gallardo, Huracán, Aventador, Urus, and the current Revuelto and Temerario. Crucially, VW ownership didn't dilute the brand's character; the cars are still dramatic, Italian, and unmistakably Lamborghini. The group provided the stability; Lamborghini kept the soul.
From near-collapse to global icon
It's striking how close the Lamborghini story came to ending. Through the 1970s, 80s, and early 90s, the company changed hands repeatedly and more than once teetered financially — a brilliant carmaker without a stable home. The 1998 Audi acquisition quietly rescued it, and everything that followed — the best-selling Huracán, the Urus that reshaped the business — flowed from that stability. The badge that now symbolizes success spent decades fighting to survive, and the owner who changed that was Audi. For the founding chapter, see our guide on who created Lamborghini.
The brand today, under VW
Today Lamborghini operates as a stable, flagship brand within the Volkswagen Group's portfolio, which also includes Audi, Porsche, Bentley, and others. It still designs and builds its cars in Sant'Agata Bolognese and sets its own creative direction, backed by group resources. For how that translates into the cars themselves, see our top Lamborghini models, or experience one with our Lamborghini rentals.
Author Bio:
As the CEO of FYV Exotic Car Rentals—part of the Rent FYV network guided by Sean Cohen—I am George Kazanjian. I interact with the modern engineering and diagnostics of these supercars on a daily basis, so I wrote this ownership breakdown to help enthusiasts trace the exact corporate lineage from Ferruccio to Audi. My goal is to cut through decades of confusing rumors and show you exactly how the financial stability of the Volkswagen Group allowed Lamborghini to preserve its aggressive Italian soul while dramatically improving the daily reliability of the cars you rent from our fleet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Lamborghini is owned by Audi AG, which is part of the Volkswagen Group. Audi is the direct parent, and Volkswagen Group is the ultimate owner. This has been the case since 1998.
Yes. Audi acquired Lamborghini in 1998 and remains its direct owner. Because Audi is itself a Volkswagen Group company, Lamborghini is ultimately under the Volkswagen Group.
Yes. Through Audi, Lamborghini belongs to the Volkswagen Group, alongside brands like Porsche, Bentley, and Audi itself. VW Group is the ultimate parent company.
In 1998. The acquisition ended a long period of unstable ownership and began the modern, successful era of the brand under the Volkswagen Group.
No. Ferruccio Lamborghini sold his stake in the 1970s, and the company has passed through several owners since. The family has had no ownership for decades.
Because they're sister brands under the Volkswagen Group. That relationship is why the Lamborghini Huracán and Audi R8 share a V10 engine and much of their platform.
Several owners, including Chrysler (from 1987) and later an investment group in the 1990s. Before that, it passed through private owners after Ferruccio Lamborghini sold out in the 1970s.
Acquisition interest and rumors have surfaced over the years, but Lamborghini has remained within the Volkswagen Group. Treat any sale talk as speculation unless officially confirmed.
Still in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy. Volkswagen Group ownership provided investment and engineering support, but the cars are still designed and built at Lamborghini's original Italian home.
No. VW ownership brought stability and resources while Lamborghini kept its own identity, design, and limited production. The cars remain exclusive, dramatic, and distinctly Lamborghini.