Lamborghini tractors to soon roar in Indian fields

Group also planning to make India its global production hub for engines within the next three years

After speeding with Lamborghini sports cars, affluent Indians will soon get a chance to plough fields with tractors of the same premium brand with Italian farm equipment maker Same Deutz-Fahr (SDF) Group planning to introduce the product here.

"Introduction of Lamborghini tractors in India is definitely on our plans and it is a project we are currently working on. However, we cannot put a timeline on when will it be launched here," SDF India Managing Director and CEO Bhanu Sharma told PTI.

The group is also planning to make India its global production hub for engines within the next three years and will move its global tractor engine production from Italy and Germany to the plant of its Indian arm, Same Deutz-Fahr India at Ranipet near Chennai.

SDF Group had gained ownership of the Lamborghini brand of tractors in 1973 following the acquisition of Trattori Lamborghini, founded by Ferruccio Lamborghini -- creator of the Lamborghini cars.

The sports car business of Lamborghini continues to be under Automobili Lamborghini SpA, which is a part of the Volkswagen Group.

"The Lamborghini tractors will be at a premium. It is more sporty and stylish. Although we manufacture the brand at our Ranipet plant currently, we export it to mainly Europe and Australia," he said, without sharing further details such as expected price of the tractors.

Out of the four brands -- Same, Deutz-Fahr, Lamborghini and Hurlimann -- that the SDF Group has, it sells only the Deutz-Fahr brand in India currently.

Commenting on SDF Group's decision to move engine production to India, Sharma said: "Already plans are afoot to move production of higher power engines to India from Europe. When the bigger engines of above 100 horse power (HP) are moved to India, it would require a capacity of 40,000 units per year."

SDF India's Ranipet plant currently has a capacity to make 16,000 engines of up to 100 HP per year. The SDF Group's Italy plant makes engines of up to 225 HP, while the Germany plant rolls out engines above 225 HP and the combined capacity of the two plants is 25,000 units annually.

Sharma said the company would soon decide whether to expand the Ranipet plant or a new location would be set up for manufacturing the engines, that would be supplied to SDF's plants across the world. He did not comment on the investments that would be required for the project