THE LAMBORGHINI MURCIÉLAGO is one of the most exciting sports car news at the moment. The car was officially launched at the Etna and at the factory a week ago. And IAA Frankfurt Motor Show right now is its first auto show. The USA intro will be at Detroit, possibly with cars at the dealerships already.


We talk to Lamborghini´s Dr. Greco about the new Murciélago:

? Mr. Dr. Greco, do you have any advanced orders on the Murciélago?
! We have strong indications from our dealers that the order intake is about 25% stronger than the Diablo.

? Are any different versions planned, perhaps a Roadster?
! We are concentrating on the next new model now, the more compact Lamborghini to compete in a larger market segment. If a new version of the Murciélago will come, it has to wait till after the market intro of the second model.

? How has the Lamborghini owner Audi increased the quality?
! First we have had more financial resources to dedicate to the complete engineering of the surfaces, second we have adopted the same quality protocol of Audi and have some of their managers working as expatriates in S.Agata to help us implement the new procedures.

? Do you still use Italian suppliers?
! Of course, for the Murciélago all the chassis, body parts engine, gear box and suspension comes from Italian suppliers. Less than 2% of car components come are Group carryovers. We hope for the future product to maintain a substantial Italian origin of components, bearing in mind that the choice criteria will be quality first and then cost.

? Will there be a Racing version?
! We have no plans at the moment for a Murciélago R version.

? When is the last Diablo to be built? And what will happen to it?
! The last Diablo is going to be finished by the end of September and will be kept in our Museum.

? How far away is the small car? Who will design it? And where will it be built?
! We are working for a market launch in the spring of 2003. The car will be built in Italy at our factory, with important components that might come from suppliers abroad. The designer’s name is still confidential.

PHOTOS FROMTHE IAA FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW AND A 30SEC VIDEO OF THE NEW LAMBORGHINI
- the section Motor Show Special under the menu NEWS & SPY