Italian icons close up shop amidst virus outbreak.

Coronavirus concerns have finally reached into the supercar realm and ended production at two of the world’s most iconic facilities.

Both Lamborghini and Ferrari have announced that their Sant’Agata Bolognese and Maranello industrial assets will be closed until the end of March.

As Italy battles the worst coronavirus outbreak in Europe, economic activity in the country’s industrialised north has ground to a halt. Inevitably, that has meant an end to all automotive assembly.

For Lamborghini and Ferrari, who each had record production and revenue performances in 2019, losing a few weeks of production will be significant.

Although overall build volumes are relatively low for these two elite Italian automotive companies, they serve a very demanding global customer base. Lamborghini and Ferrari customers pay a premium for their vehicles and don’t take kindly to having their patience tested by delayed delivery.

If the Lamborghini and Ferrari factories manage to reopen on schedule, towards the end of March, they could still suffer restarting issues. Many of the specialist suppliers, who produce intricate componentry crucial to Lamborghini and Ferrari’s supercars, could still have problems in terms of staff or supply chain, due to the coronavirus, affecting their larger corporate customers.

Another aspect of the Lamborghini and Ferrari shutdown concerns R&D. Although engineers will be able to operate some software from home, the tangible work of wind tunnel testing, 3D prototype printing and dynamometer engine runs, will be lost for a few weeks. This could significantly impact the rollout of new Lamborghini and Ferrari models, or even mild updates, planned for the near future.

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