Lamborghini Atlanta renovates dealership; brand’s sales surge across metro area

ATLANTA — With new models ranging from more than $200,000 to well into the millions — all with limited production — knowing a Lamborghini owner or seeing one of the Italian automaker’s offerings roar by on the highway is rare. But in and around Atlanta, less so as of late.

Brandon Saszi, managing partner of Lamborghini Atlanta — part of Motor Cars of Atlanta, a factory authorized dealer for Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Lotus, McLaren Rolls Royce and Koenigsegg — has seen the brand’s growth flourish in the metro market over the last two decades, but particularly in recent years. The current waiting list for the 641-horsepower Urus, Lamborghini’s “Super SUV,” is more than two years at the dealership, and overall model sales have nearly doubled in recent years.

The growth of Lamborghini sales isn’t exclusive to the Atlanta market. The Italian marque recently posted its best global first quarter sales in brand history. But Saszi said a big driver of the sales growth around Atlanta can be credited to its increased lineup, including the popular Urus and specialty offerings like the newly debuted Huracan Tecnica. But in supercar sales, demographics are still vital, and the Atlanta populace is meeting Lamborghini’s target audience.

“Actors, athletes, producers, they all like cars, and that has fueled a lot of our growth,” Saszi said. “The tax cuts for film studios, it kind of changed the landscape of Atlanta, and a lot of people in town that benefitted from that were in the Lamborghini demographic. The music scene in Atlanta is also huge; there are a lot of big-name rappers here, and obviously [major] companies are here. And Lamborghini’s main demographic are people like CEOs, artists and athletes.”

To coincide with the brand’s added prominence in Georgia, Lamborghini Atlanta unveiled notable upgrades to its Sandy Springs facility in June as part of a $12 million overall renovation for Motor Cars of Atlanta’s dealership. Lamborghini’s portion was expanded by more than 3,500 square feet with modern aesthetics and an “Ad Personam” customization room that allows prospective buyers to physically match color combinations and materials to create a bespoke model. Adjacent to Lamborghini’s new showroom and offices is an event space and rooftop patio.

Andrea Baldi, Automobili Lamborghini America’s CEO, said the dealership’s renovations are a “significant indication” of how important the Atlanta market is to the brand.

“Atlanta is a key market for our brand with passionate supercar enthusiasts,” Baldi said. “Lamborghini Atlanta has been serving the Atlanta area for nearly 20 years, and the recent expansion reflects the brand’s growing customer base in the Southeast region.”

Saszi, who has a literal rags-to-riches story with the dealership, once working to wash cars before moving up the ladder to managing partner, said Lamborghini Atlanta is now better positioned to serve customers ready to spend six to seven figures on a new model.

“The experience, what you see, the person you are talking to, all of that comes into play, and you have to be on another level,” he said.

Still, car enthusiasts and others who appreciate the dramatics of a Lamborghini should not expect parking lots or local highways to be flooded with the manufacturer’s models. And that is by design.

“Even coming off the best sales year in company history, Lamborghini is extremely careful about protecting the brand’s exclusivity and values,” Baldi said.

Despite rocketing sales amid a growing demographic of buyers, Lamborghini Atlanta is still making about 70 sales annually, Saszi said.

That only continues to drive demand, however. When the Huracan Tecnica was launched in April, Saszi said, a New York Lamborghini dealer received 15 deposits for the $329,000 supercar the same day.

“Desire is driven by demand, and so many people want them,” Saszi said. “And if you can’t get it, you want it.”

As Lamborghini’s momentum continues in Atlanta and beyond, the automaker is facing government regulations that infracts on its traditional heritage of big and brazen naturally aspirated engines where performance and power are at the forefront and low MPG figures are seen as the price to play.

But alongside the rest of the supercar world, Lamborghini is reimagining how it will continue to deliver supreme performance without models gorging on supreme-grade fuel.

“We will continue to provide our customers with products that stay true to our DNA while adhering to governmental requirements around the world,” Baldi said.

For 2022, Lamborghini is still “celebrating the combustion engine,” he said, but the model range will undergo a hybrid transition by 2024 with a goal to cut CO2 emissions by 50% the following year. The automaker expects to have four full-electric models by 2028.

As the brand embraces hybridized and electric power, it is also seeking to attract new customers with another four-door, four-passenger model, Baldi said, likely a result of the Urus’ success as the fastest-selling model to 20,000 sales in the automaker’s history.

Saszi said he is confident that Lamborghini sales will continue to trend upward in the Atlanta area despite the shift from the company’s original pedigree. The success of the Urus has allowed Lamborghini to focus its efforts on new models, he said, and new offerings will be further bolstered by the achievement of the model.

“That creates even more of a desire for Lamborghini,” Sazsi said.

Joe Parker is a lifelong north Georgia resident and a graduate of Georgia State University. Parker has served as an automotive journalist since 2018 and is the previous editor of the Milton Herald.

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