Anyone interested in supercars and hypercars knows the name, Lamborghini. Tractor manufacturer Ferruccio Lamborghini founded the marque in 1963, and it has become synonymous with extremely high performance and price tags to match.
But how much does it cost the company to build a Lamborghini?
The estimated cost of making Lamborghinis ranges between $95,000 and $3.2 million. Although the company does not disclose the cost of manufacturing, Lamborghini makes an average profit of $122,789 per car.
It is a great challenge to find out how much money the Lamborghini company puts into building each car, as they keep these figures private. However, there are ways of estimating the cost to build based on the sales price and the average profit margin.
Let’s see how we can use these to determine the approximate cost of making a Lamborghini.
Production Costs Of 2022 Lamborghini Models
| Lamborghini Model | Estimated Build Cost |
|---|---|
| Lamborghini Urus | $121,130 |
| Lamborghini Urus Pearl Capsule | $142,330 |
| Lamborghini Urus Graphite Capsule | $145 030 |
| Lamborghini Aventador Ultimae | $397,530 |
| Lamborghini Aventador Ultimae Roadster | $445,630 |
| Lamborghini Aventador SVJ | $410,630 |
| Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Roadster | $472,630 |
| Lamborghini Huracán EVO | $137,630 |
| Lamborghini Huracán EVO Spyder | $163,630 |
| Lamborghini Huracán EVO RWD | $95,630 |
| Lamborghini Huracán EVO RWD Spyder | $110,630 |
| Lamborghini Huracán EVO Fluo Capsule | $183,130 |
| Lamborghini Huracán STO | $226,630 |
Various factors contribute to the production costs of a Lamborghini car or SUV. Some expenses apply to each vehicle, whereas others are amortized across the entire lifespan of a particular model.
Cost To Make A Particular Lamborghini
Each car takes a certain amount of raw materials, such as steel, aluminum, carbon fiber, copper flex, silicon microchips, and leather, for the upholstery.
So the cost of these raw materials affects the car’s expense, and they do not remain constant. Instead, the cost of raw materials fluctuates all the time due to the vagaries of commodities markets.
Another factor that contributes directly to the cost of making an individual Lamborghini vehicle is the labor costs – the technicians who build each car must be paid.
As wages are typically paid weekly rather than for each car built, one can only determine a rough average labor cost per Lamborghini.
You can learn more about why Lamborghinis are so expensive in this post.
Costs Amortized Over The Lifespan Of A Lamborghini Model
However, there are other costs associated with making a Lamborghini. Engineers must design each model and get paid handsome salaries.
Lamborghini must build and test initial prototypes, which also costs quite a lot. Once the design is finalized, Lamborghini must make the machine tools and molds required to build that particular model. Doing so involves high labor costs.
A benefit of investing in research and development (R&D)is the acquisition of new knowledge and technologies that Lamborghini can use in future models. In Lamborghini’s case, novel technologies may eventually appear in mainstream Audi models in another decade.
This investment in R&D involves enormous costs, which is why automotive companies employ patents and other intellectual property (IP) mechanisms to protect their investment from potential IP theft.
The Profitability Of Lamborghini Models
Typically, a new model makes a loss for the company when first introduced, and it is after it has been in production for a year or two that Lamborghini starts realizing profits.
However, they make enormous profits from each car once this switchover happens. The company can stick an extremely high markup on each vehicle due to its rarity, value, and prestige.
An additional factor to consider when assessing the cost of making a Lamborghini is the relationship between them and the company that owns them, the VW-Audi group.
Corporate accounting practices may shift production costs from Audi to Lamborghini to improve Audi’s apparent profitability. Everyone expects a Lamborghini to cost a lot to make, so a bit extra on each vehicle is overlooked.
Estimated Costs To Build Lamborghini Models
While Lamborghini does not publicly release any information on the production costs of their models and their variants, we know the retail value of these vehicles. We can use these to estimate how much it costs to build each of their products.
Lamborghini reported an operating profit of $625 million for the first half of 2022, which Lamborghini itself says is after all costs. This figure translates into a profit per car of $122,789.
However, some of this profit comes from merchandise, parts, and brand licensing fees. As the industry standard for such profit is around 15 percent, we can conclude that Lamborghini made around $104,370 per vehicle.
By subtracting the average profit per vehicle from the manufacturer’s suggested retail price for a particular line and variant of Lamborghini, we can get an idea of how much it costs to make.
Bear in mind that this is merely an estimate of the build cost, and some will cost much more to make than the average, while others will cost them less.
Production Costs Of Lamborghini Urus
| Lamborghini Model | MSRP (Price) | Estimated Build Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Urus | $225,500 | $121,130 |
| Urus Pearl Capsule | $246,700 | $142,330 |
| Urus Graphite Capsule | $249,400 | $145,030 |
The Lamborghini Urus is the company’s entry into the sports utility market. Billed as a “Super SUV,” the Urus is currently the most popular offering from the marque.
It comes in several variants, which we have listed above with the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) minus the Lamborghini’s average profit per vehicle ($104,370 per vehicle) to arrive at an estimated build cost.
Production Costs Of Lamborghini Aventador
| Lamborghini Model | MSRP (Price) | Estimated Build Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Aventador Ultimae | $501,900 | $397,530 |
| Aventador Ultimae Roadster | $550,000 | $445,630 |
| Aventador SVJ | $515,000 | $410,630 |
| Aventador SVJ Roadster | $577,000 | $472,630 |
The more prestigious of the two models of car that Lamborghini currently offers is the Aventador, which features a V12 engine. This model comes in several variants, listed above with their MSRP and estimated build cost.
Production Costs Of Lamborghini Huracan
| Lamborghini Model | MSRP (Price) | Estimated Build Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Huracán EVO | $242,000 | $137,630 |
| Huracán EVO Spyder | $268,000 | $163,630 |
| Huracán EVO RWD | $200,000 | $95,630 |
| Huracán EVO RWD Spyder | $215,000 | $110,630 |
| Huracán EVO Fluo Capsule | $287,500 | $183,130 |
| Huracán STO | $331,000 | $226,630 |
The more affordable option of the two regular car models that Lamborghini currently offers (if one can use the word “regular” of a Lamborghini) is the Huracan.
These cars have V10 engines. We have listed out the variants with their MSRP and estimated build cost above.
Production Costs Of Lamborghini Limited Series
| Lamborghini Model | MSRP (Price) | Estimated Build Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Sián FKP 37 | $3,000,000 | $2,895,630 |
| Sián Roadster | $3,300,000 | $3,195,630 |
Lamborghini also currently produces two versions of the Sián (a Bolognese dialect word for lightning). These cars feature a hybrid gasoline/electric drivetrain capable of blistering performance.
All Lamborghini models are very exclusive, but these models are built in extremely limited numbers. Above are their MSRPs and estimated build costs.
Production Costs Of Lamborghini Race Editions
Lamborghini is involved in competitive motorsports through the Squadra Corse division. Some cars they make are used in regulated racing, whereas others, such as the Essenza, are only driven in private track sessions. These cars serve as the ultimate test beds of innovation for the marque.
We have listed out the various models Lamborghini builds. However, as they are not available for sale to the public, there is no MSRP and no way of estimating cost. Doubtless, the price of developing these vehicles is far higher than for production models.
- 2022 Lamborghini Huracán Super Troffeo EVO
- 2022 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO
- 2022 Lamborghini Essenza SCV12
- Lamborghini SC18 Alston
- Lamborghini SC20
Conclusion
It is impossible to get the precise cost of building any model of Lamborghini from the company. But we can use the average profit made per vehicle and the manufacturer’s suggested retail price to determine an approximate average build cost for each production model of Lamborghini.
The cost can range from $100,000 for lower-end Huracán models to as much as $3,000,000 for the limited series Sián cars.