Established in 1963, Lamborghini remained under the ownership of its founder, Ferruccio Lamborghini, until 1974. Following several successful years, the company's sales plunged in the wake of the 1973 financial downturn and oil crisis, so Ferruccio decided to retire and sold the company to George-Henri Rossetti and Rene Leimer in 1974. Lamborghini eventually went bankrupt in 1978 and two years later was placed in the receivership of brothers Jean-Claude and Patrick Mimran. The Mimrans purchased the automaker in 1984 but sold it to Chrysler in 1987. The American group held onto the brand until 1994, when it sold it to Malaysian investment group Mycom Setdco and Indonesian group V'Power Corporation. In 1998, Lamborghini was again sold to the Volkswagen Group, where it was placed under the control of the Audi division.

What is the Volkswagen Automotive Group?

The Volkswagen Group, also known as Volkswagen AG, is a German multinational automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. Established in 1937 as Volkswagen, the company that designed the iconic Beetle, VW became a group in the 1960s, following the acquisition of Auto Union and NSU, which merged to form Audi. VAG went on to purchase a majority controlling stake in Seat and did the same with Skoda in 1994. In 1998, Volkswagen bought three luxury brand: Bentley, Bugatti, and Lamborghini. In 2012, the Volkswagen Group became the parent company of Porsche.

Overall, the Volkswagen Group includes 15 brands and subsidiaries. The German giant also owns Ducati, MAN, and Scania. The Group also owns five defunct marques, all iconic German brands from the past. The list includes Auto Union, Horch, NSU, Wanderer, and DKW.

Who Owns Lamborghini Shares?

The same people and institutions who own the Volkswagen Group also own Lamborghini shares. Shareholders of the VW Group include Porsche Automobil Holding SE (30.8 percent), foreign institutional investors (25.2 percent), Qatar Holding LLC (14.6 percent), the State of Lower Saxony (11.8 percent), private shareholders (15.1 percent) and German institutional investors (2.5 percent).

As far as voting rights go, Porsche Automobil Holding SE has 53.1 percent, the State of Lower Saxony 20 percent, and Qatar Holding LLC 17 percent. The remaining shareholders own 9.9 percent of the voting rights.

Although it's controlled by Audi, which in turn is part of the bigger Volkswagen Group, Lamborghini controls its very own subsidiaries. Motorcycle manufacturer Ducati is by far the most important, but Lambo also controls Italdesign Giugiaro (90.1 percent of shares). Lamborghini also controls MML S.p.A. (Motori Marini Lamborghini), a manufacturer of marine engine blocks, and Volkswagen Group Italia S.p.A., which sells Audi and other Volkswagen Group vehicles in Italy.

Where Are Lamborghinis Made?

Lamborghini builds its vehicles in a factory in Sant'Agata Bolognese, a small commune near Bologna, Italy. Both the factory and headquarters have been located here since Ferruccio founded the company, but the facility was heavily upgraded since Lambo was purchased by Volkswagen. Most recently, the production site area was doubled and a new production line for the Urus SUV was installed.