an importer from Latin America would manufacture the first electric

The automotive expert in super sports cars, Lamborghini, belonging to the Volkswagen Group and managed by Audi, is going through an awkward moment with one of the owners of their rights in Latin America.

His name is Jorge Antonio Fernández García, known as Joan Ferci, and he is the CEO of Lamborghini Latin America since in 1993 it acquired part of the brand rights for this region. Now that promises to make Lamborghini electrical in Mexico, its history becomes more controversial.

The case is very reminiscent of Ferruccio Lamborghini, who if he could see what happens with his brand, would be proud of the moment he currently lives, under the mandate of Audi as part of the Volkswagen Group, with healthy numbers. Although the same would not happen with Ferci’s plans.

Lamborghini went through several stages. It went bankrupt in 1978 after going through different hands and ending in 1987 in the hands of the American group Chrysler. It was during this period that he suffered the worst sales results in its history.

The situation was so bad that only a few years later in 1994, Chrysler disposed of Lamborghini by selling it to Malaysian company MegaTech.

They were the ones who in 1995, just one year after buying the brand, received contact from a businessman of Mexican origin named Jorge Antonio Fernández García, better known as Joan Ferci.

At that time, the Mexican government only allowed to sell cars that were manufactured in Mexico or that had been assembled in Mexico.

Joan Ferci, who had worked as an electronic equipment supplier for Chrysler, wanted to become a Lamborghini importer for his country, but he ran into the problem that if the cars were not assembled there, they could not be marketed.

Thus, he proposed to the owners of the brand to keep those rights and be able to start assembling cars in Mexico. The negotiation also included the distribution and manufacturing rights of the brand’s merchandising in Latin America.

In order to use the license, which was valid for 99 years, he created the company Automóviles Lamborghini Latinoamérica S.A. de C.V. In this way today it still continues to exercise its rights over it and that is somewhat uncomfortable for the modern Lamborghini.

One of the reasons is because among the rights acquired by Ferci in the late 90s, there was the manufacture of cars with the Lamborghini brand and also to carry out their own restylings within the territory of Mexico and Latin America.

Hence a few years ago it was proposed to create the “first Latin American Lamborghini” giving rise to the so-called Lamborghini Coatl. Introduced in 2000, the Lamborghini Coatl took the base of the Lamborghini Diablo, with its atmospheric V12 engine powered to 635 hp and sporting a body of dubious taste made by Ferci himself.

The stylized, sharp and proportionate lines of the Devil, the work of designer Marcello Gandini, creator of cars like the Miura and the Countach, had disappeared and in their place air intakes everywhere, ailerons, appendages and other disproportionate sections had been arranged to give place to a car as strange as baroque.

Three units of the Lamborghini Coatl were built, of which one went to Belgium, another to Germany and a third remained in Argentina in his own hands. He only went out there once in a while to participate in car-related events and exhibitions.

What Joan Ferci has exploited most successfully is the manufacture and distribution of merchandising materials and clothing with the Lamborghini brand. On the website of Automobiles Lamborghini Latin America, you can see a huge catalog consisting of both sports and dress shoes, sports shoes, coats, jackets, backpacks, watches and endless materials.

Beyond this, Ferci has wanted to print his brand on other elements. From Lamborghini Cryptocurrencies to a motorcycle with its name, or a line of fragrances with the names Aventador and Miura, it seems that the diversification of Lamborghini Latin America has no end.

These adventures developed during the last 25 years by the businessman have not been a big problem for Lamborghini. In markets that are not preferred for the Sant´Agata Bolognese house, its visibility has been quite contained. But it is not the same with your new project.

Lamborghini wants to manufacture its next generation of electric SUVs in Mexico, according to Motorpasión.

The news is not very credible because it does not seem that Lamborghini’s plans for the coming years go through the creation of 100% electric models. It makes perfect sense that electric cars are not one of the priorities because Lamborghini is one of the brands that, thanks to its low production, does not fall within those that must adhere to the WLTP emissions regulations that limit 99gr / km of CO2 a year if they don’t want to fall into multi-million dollar fines.

On the other hand, Lamborghini’s plans are to continue being the manufacturer of super sports and exclusive cars, with models such as the Lamborghini Sián FKP 37, presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show, of which 63 units will be built, and which although it offers new and exclusive hybrid technologies, does not have the point of view in Mexico precisely.

For now, we will have to wait to see if Ferci meets his goal and revolutionizes the world’s largest sports car brand from Latin America.

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