Passion don't pay! How Lamborghini does a "Ferrari" in India.

nitrous · 13th November 2009, 20:19

The story of how Lamborghini came into being as a supercar manufacturer is well known among petrol heads.
Short version: Lamborghini who owned a regular clutch-failing Ferrari goes to Enzo with the complaint and Enzo asks him to keep his suggestions to his Tractor-making company. This made Feruccino Lamborghini furious, and eventually came up with Lamborghini cars to teach Enzo Ferrari a lesson.

Sports cars, super cars, hyper cars are a very different commodity in the market. They are not bought for A-B commuting. But, because they're bought for the pleasure of owning and driving them. Basically, they're not bought with your mind, but with the heart. And hence, they're marketed differently. Now how does Lamborghini market their cars in India.

Here's how:
1. Bring down a bunch of cars from abroad.
2. Hire a racetrack.
3. Invite some Richie Rich's from around the country
4. Let them drive the machines on the track and get "passionate".

I think they got it all right. Especially the part where they try to 'instill' the passion into one. Anything to keep the cash registers ringing.

A bunch of us went today to shoot some pictures,revel in the exhaust notes and see the Gallardos do what they're meant to do.
As we were shooting some pictures, Lamborghini representatives come out and tell us that this wasn't for us and made us leave.
We felt it was WRONG. If someone feels its normal, please check this video out:

YouTube - Porsche commercial

Now I think they got the most important part WRONG!

What about the passionate petrol heads?
The ones that had a large Diablo poster on their bedroom wall.
The ones that revere their supercars and hypercars.
The ones that actually make the car's "stock" go up and stay there.

Don't WE atleast deserve to just be there?

I think I represent the average Indian petrolhead and I am furious!. This treatment is unacceptable to our community.

PS: This was when Ferrari came for a tour : http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/1566781-post1622.html

Gilead · 13th November 2009, 20:26

Nitrous, real sorry to hear about the incident. Lambo should have known better. You or your friends may not be a potential customer today, but you could be in the future, or your kids could be. Very short sighted of them.

I remember being treated like a king in a BMW showroom in the US in 2002 when it was fairly obvious I could not even afford to buy a Toyota! I still hold BMW in high regard due to that incident and I will definitely buy one when I can afford to. If I had been treated the way Lambo treated you today, I would probably be bad-mouthing BMW all over the place.

black12rr · 13th November 2009, 20:29

Hmm ,I think they are here to do business , who ever pays the price tag is a customer . Simple isn't it ? ....but the thing you mentioned about being passionate ,hardcore lover , do we have something local first , Maruti ?,hamara bajaj?,Reclaim your life ?

..

Ravveendrra · 13th November 2009, 20:37

Hi Nitrous, That is sad. Definitely not nice and downright rude.

I remember Sidindica had a similar unpleasant experience in the Porche showroom. Fortunately Porche made amends in that case.

I remember when the 612s were doing their road trip. The Ferrari guys let my 5 year old in to have a look-see at the cars and fiddle around inside. One of those pics is my avatar cause he just loves it and never tires of it. Ferrari converted him (and me) with that one gracious act.

Cheers,

Nikhilb2008 · 13th November 2009, 21:49

Nitrous, what happened with the Ferraris?

SRK · 13th November 2009, 22:02

I too feel sad.

If the companies feel only money is everything then they are wrong.

Who knows, the guy who said you to move out, will open the door to your own lambo someday.

This just shows how Ruthless people have become, the only thing they see is a money.

And yes, if I do get money I might consider buying a prosche...Loved that Ad! hehe!!

McLaren Rulez · 13th November 2009, 22:09

If only Nitrous could start his own sports car company. That'll show Lambo

vinaydas · 13th November 2009, 22:10

who said the age of discrimination and caste etc are over this is the perfect example of how people with moolah are treated against normal people.
personally i believe a sales representative should give his full attention to who ever walks in regardless of bank balance/age/dressing sense etc. If the representative fails to do so then he does not deserve to work in their respective fields.
we as enthusiasts have a certain passion for cars/bikes but imbeciles like these will not understand us.

P.S
Loved the Porsche add!!!
i think the VW india add for the beetle,toureg,passat,jetta and polo adopt a very similar concept.

sdp1975 · 13th November 2009, 22:12

Nitrous, isn't there a way you can escalate this kind of high-handed behaviour to the higher-ups ?

supercars · 13th November 2009, 22:13

The Event was sad but expected. I don't care a dime about Big Sportscars.

I suggest you to get a Lot More Dollars into your pocket and go and buy a Car that can compete with the Lambo and beat it on track.

DKG · 13th November 2009, 22:26

You know what an Indian once did when he was treated like this? He bought half a dozen of the cars, had them converted into garbage trucks and handed them to the municipality.

Should we alert the Chennai municipality to expect a consignment?

On a more serious note I am not at all surprised. Such discrimination is very much a real part of society the world over. I've seen huge fights outside clubs because people are refused entry for being a different colour or nationality. Its sad but a part of life.

Ultimately its a small mind that discriminates.

sajands · 13th November 2009, 22:27

Nitrous, sorry to hear your unpleasant experience. Lamborghini indeed is evey boy's dream toy and everyone either has a scale model or poster or evena wallpaper. This is not the way they treat people who worship the super car. Lamborghini has to know about this and if poosible make up to what they have done.

MileCruncher · 13th November 2009, 22:57

Nitrous really sorry to hear this. I'm definitely sure that the representative told you to go would have locally hired Lambo crony just for the event, who wouldn't know his BHP from Torque.

Anyways I would say that don't sweat too much about this incident and may be send a report of ths incident to folks at Lambo Italy

P.S: Just remembered that Lambo is part of VW Group and soon to be a sister organisation of Porsche. How different philosophy

Nitronium · 13th November 2009, 22:59

That's just poor brand building!

Who are they to judge? What, based on the way you dress? The fact you dont have armed security guards? I bet nitrous could've thrown facts about the car to the sales rep he'd never even heard of. Lambo India, i understand you wanna keep the moolah boys happy. But not at the cost of doing what Lambos do best. Make people go WOOW!

I agree with McLaren. Start your own sports car co.

Nikhilb2008 · 13th November 2009, 23:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by DKG

You know what an Indian once did when he was treated like this? He bought half a dozen of the cars, had them converted into garbage trucks and handed them to the municipality.

Should we alert the Chennai municipality to expect a consignment?

On a more serious note I am not at all surprised. Such discrimination is very much a real part of society the world over. I've seen huge fights outside clubs because people are refused entry for being a different colour or nationality. Its sad but a part of life.

Ultimately its a small mind that discriminates.

Sorry to go off topic, but wasnt this with some maharaja and Rolls Royce?

13th November 2009, 20:26	#2
Gilead Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 2,142 Thanked: 60 Times	Nitrous, real sorry to hear about the incident. Lambo should have known better. You or your friends may not be a potential customer today, but you could be in the future, or your kids could be. Very short sighted of them. I remember being treated like a king in a BMW showroom in the US in 2002 when it was fairly obvious I could not even afford to buy a Toyota! I still hold BMW in high regard due to that incident and I will definitely buy one when I can afford to. If I had been treated the way Lambo treated you today, I would probably be bad-mouthing BMW all over the place.
	() Thanks

13th November 2009, 20:29	#3
black12rr Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Ridin earth now Posts: 1,280 Thanked: 349 Times	Hmm ,I think they are here to do business , who ever pays the price tag is a customer . Simple isn't it ? ....but the thing you mentioned about being passionate ,hardcore lover , do we have something local first , Maruti ?,hamara bajaj?,Reclaim your life ? ..
	() Thanks

13th November 2009, 20:37	#4
Ravveendrra Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 1,390 Thanked: 447 Times View My Garage	Hi Nitrous, That is sad. Definitely not nice and downright rude. I remember Sidindica had a similar unpleasant experience in the Porche showroom. Fortunately Porche made amends in that case. I remember when the 612s were doing their road trip. The Ferrari guys let my 5 year old in to have a look-see at the cars and fiddle around inside. One of those pics is my avatar cause he just loves it and never tires of it. Ferrari converted him (and me) with that one gracious act. Cheers,
	() Thanks

13th November 2009, 21:49	#5
Nikhilb2008 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 5,195 Thanked: 10,177 Times	Nitrous, what happened with the Ferraris?
	() Thanks

13th November 2009, 22:02	#6
SRK Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,206 Thanked: 536 Times	I too feel sad. If the companies feel only money is everything then they are wrong. Who knows, the guy who said you to move out, will open the door to your own lambo someday. This just shows how Ruthless people have become, the only thing they see is a money. And yes, if I do get money I might consider buying a prosche...Loved that Ad! hehe!!
	() Thanks

13th November 2009, 22:09	#7
McLaren Rulez Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Mysore Posts: 3,463 Thanked: 5,519 Times	If only Nitrous could start his own sports car company. That'll show Lambo
	() Thanks

13th November 2009, 22:10	#8
vinaydas BANNED Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 1,399 Thanked: 148 Times	who said the age of discrimination and caste etc are over this is the perfect example of how people with moolah are treated against normal people. personally i believe a sales representative should give his full attention to who ever walks in regardless of bank balance/age/dressing sense etc. If the representative fails to do so then he does not deserve to work in their respective fields. we as enthusiasts have a certain passion for cars/bikes but imbeciles like these will not understand us. P.S Loved the Porsche add!!! i think the VW india add for the beetle,toureg,passat,jetta and polo adopt a very similar concept. Last edited by vinaydas : 13th November 2009 at 22:15.
	() Thanks

13th November 2009, 22:12	#9
sdp1975 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,716 Thanked: 1,278 Times View My Garage	Nitrous, isn't there a way you can escalate this kind of high-handed behaviour to the higher-ups ?
	() Thanks

13th November 2009, 22:13	#10
supercars BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bombay Posts: 495 Thanked: 42 Times	The Event was sad but expected. I don't care a dime about Big Sportscars. I suggest you to get a Lot More Dollars into your pocket and go and buy a Car that can compete with the Lambo and beat it on track.
	() Thanks

13th November 2009, 22:26	#11
DKG Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 3,725 Thanked: 1,659 Times View My Garage	You know what an Indian once did when he was treated like this? He bought half a dozen of the cars, had them converted into garbage trucks and handed them to the municipality. Should we alert the Chennai municipality to expect a consignment? On a more serious note I am not at all surprised. Such discrimination is very much a real part of society the world over. I've seen huge fights outside clubs because people are refused entry for being a different colour or nationality. Its sad but a part of life. Ultimately its a small mind that discriminates.
	() Thanks

13th November 2009, 22:27	#12
sajands BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 967 Thanked: 454 Times View My Garage	Nitrous, sorry to hear your unpleasant experience. Lamborghini indeed is evey boy's dream toy and everyone either has a scale model or poster or evena wallpaper. This is not the way they treat people who worship the super car. Lamborghini has to know about this and if poosible make up to what they have done.
	() Thanks

13th November 2009, 22:57	#13
MileCruncher Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: MH01 Posts: 4,492 Thanked: 1,331 Times View My Garage	Nitrous really sorry to hear this. I'm definitely sure that the representative told you to go would have locally hired Lambo crony just for the event, who wouldn't know his BHP from Torque. Anyways I would say that don't sweat too much about this incident and may be send a report of ths incident to folks at Lambo Italy P.S: Just remembered that Lambo is part of VW Group and soon to be a sister organisation of Porsche. How different philosophy Last edited by MileCruncher : 13th November 2009 at 23:00.
	() Thanks

13th November 2009, 22:59	#14
Nitronium BHPian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 407 Thanked: 94 Times	That's just poor brand building! Who are they to judge? What, based on the way you dress? The fact you dont have armed security guards? I bet nitrous could've thrown facts about the car to the sales rep he'd never even heard of. Lambo India, i understand you wanna keep the moolah boys happy. But not at the cost of doing what Lambos do best. Make people go WOOW! I agree with McLaren. Start your own sports car co.
	() Thanks