Back in May of this year, we reported that Audi was preparing to sell Italdesign as part of a broader cost-cutting measure. Employees at the company’s headquarters in Moncalieri were told at a company-wide meeting that the company was officially on the market. This announcement immediately raised questions about the future of one of Italy’s most influential design and engineering firms. Today the next step is confirmed. UST, headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California, will acquire a majority stake in Italdesign, while Lamborghini will retain a significant stake and Audi will remain a long-term strategic partner and major customer.
Italdesign has been part of the Volkswagen Group since 2010. The company was originally founded in 1968 by Giorgetto Giugiaro and Aldo Mantovani and shaped automotive design for more than five decades. The design house’s extensive and diverse portfolio includes iconic models such as the original Volkswagen Golf, the BMW M1, the DeLorean DMC 12, the Maserati MC12, the Lamborghini Gallardo and the Nissan GT-R 50 NISMO. Over time, Italdesign expanded into engineering, prototyping, small series production and industrial design. With more than 1,300 employees at 10 international locations, the company remains profitable despite being heavily dependent on contracts from the Volkswagen Group.
This trust became a strategic concern. Audi’s difficult 2024, marked by weaker demand for electric vehicles and increasing global competition, put pressure on non-core assets. With the arrival of UST, a new framework is introduced. The California-based company offers AI systems, software-defined vehicle development, digital ecosystem engineering and a global workforce of more than 30,000 employees in 30 countries. Italdesign offers comprehensive expertise in the areas of design, hardware development, electronics and small series production. This combined capability is intended to support the development of completely modern, digitalized vehicles, where software and physical technology must be developed together rather than separately.
“This partnership will bring benefits to all parties involved. It will allow Italdesign to accelerate the expansion of its service portfolio into new markets and achieve deeper penetration in various international markets. Italdesign aims to become the world’s first complete integrator of hardware and software, both in the automotive sector and in other high-tech industrial sectors.” – Antonio Casu, CEO of Italdesign Giugiaro SpA
UST will assume operational responsibility while honoring and building on Italdesign’s Italian heritage, design culture and talent of its employees. Audi’s leadership also relies on continuity. Italdesign will continue to support Audi programs based on its design, prototyping and engineering expertise. The exact financial terms of the transaction are not disclosed and the transaction is subject to regulatory approval.
What began as a cost-focused review has now evolved into a structural change that provides Italdesign with a global technology backbone while maintaining its identity and long-standing ties to Audi and Lamborghini.
Images: Audi
