Lamborghini announces location for U.S. headquarters

Lamborghini -- the Italian supercar maker -- has announced that it will setup shop for its new North American sales arm in Santa Monica, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. As surprising as it may seem, the North American sales division is actually Lamborghini's first outside of its home market of Italy.

The Italian automaker was also considering locations on the East Coast -- for better communication with the automaker's Italian headquarters -- but ultimately decided on Los Angeles because California is one of the automaker's largest markets. "While we will have to wait until the afternoons to call California from Italy, it was the best decision," Stephan Winkelmann, CEO of Automobili Lamborghini, told Automotive News. "California is where the future trends are. It's where our PR agency is. It's where many of our buyers are."

According to Automotive News, North America represented 41 percent of Lamborghini's sales in 2007. Moreover, California accounted for about one third of all North American sales, putting it ahead of both Italy and Germany for Lamborghini sales.