Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann reportedly leaving for Audi’s Quattro division

News from the Italian media is that Winkelmann might be heading to another part of the enormous Volkswagen Group, namely Audi’s Quattro GmbH division. It is also speculated that former Scuderia Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali could be elected as the next CEO of Lamborghini. Domenicali joined Lamboghini’s parent company Audi almost immediately after resigning from Ferrari in 2014, which led to speculation that he was about to head a new F1 entry for the German carmaker.

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, 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. Winkelmann is widely credited as the man who helped Lamborghini re-invent itself and become the respected supercar maker that it is today. 

If the rumours are indeed true and Winkelmann does move to Audi Quattro, he will replace Heinz Hollerweger, who is retiring soon.  Winkelmann’s expertise is expected to help Audi transform Quattro from an emblem that denotes a more powerful engine into a full-fledged sub-brand like Mercedes-AMG and BMW M. Stay tuned for more updates on this.