Confirmed: Stephan Winkelmann to leave Lamborghini for Audi’s Quattro GmbH

Confirming the rumours about his future with Lamborghini, president and CEO Stephan Winkelmann has confirmed that he is leaving the company in exchange of a job with Audi’s go-fast Quattro GmbH division, replacing the outgoing Heinz Peter Hollerweger at Quattro. If speculations in the Italian media are to be believed, Ferrari’s former Formula 1 team principal, Stefano Domenicali will be Winkelmann’s successor at Lamborghini.

Audi Quattro GmbH is Audi’s high-performance division, much like BMW’s M and Mercedes’s AMG divisions. It is the skunkworks behind enthusiast-oriented Audis like the R8, TT RS and the RS7. Moreover, it also designs sporty accessories like bumpers, splitters, and spoilers for the Audi S line.

The 51-year old and always snazzily-suited Winkelmann has led Lamborghini through its most transformative era, after it was acquired by Volkswagen Group and put under control of the Audi branch in 1998. Before that, he had served in various roles at Fiat. Under his leadership since 2005, the Raging Bull has seen enormous growth, and has managed to establish a secure foothold in a host of lucrative new markets around the globe, including China and India. 

He steered the brand through the success of the Gallardo and the birth of both the Aventador and the Huracán. He has also been instrumental in pushing for a third model line for the company, which will finally become a reality with next year’s Urus SUV.

With Winkelmann’s impending move to Audi Quattro, Heinz Hollerweger’s immediate future remains unclear. A popular and widely respected figure, the 62-year-old engineer was appointed by the now-retired Audi development chief Ulrich Hackenberg early last year.