Ingolstadt, Germany and Moncalieri, Italy | December 10, 2025
Audi Group has entered into a strategic partnership with global digital transformation company UST, marking a significant development in the automotive and mobility innovation landscape. As part of this agreement, UST has acquired a majority stake in Italdesign Giugiaro S.p.A., while Automobili Lamborghini, a subsidiary of the Audi Group, will retain a significant minority share.
The partnership is designed to strengthen Italdesign’s long-term growth strategy while expanding its global reach and capabilities. Audi will continue to remain a strategic partner and key client of Italdesign, ensuring continuity across design, engineering, and development collaborations that have spanned decades.
Strengthening Automotive Innovation Through Combined Expertise
The transaction brings together UST’s strengths in AI-driven engineering, software-defined vehicle development, embedded systems, and digital ecosystems with Italdesign’s renowned expertise in vehicle design, prototyping, automotive electronics, and small-series production. Together, the companies aim to deliver end-to-end automotive solutions, covering the entire lifecycle from early concept and design through hardware, software, and production systems.
This integrated model is expected to support the development of next-generation, digitally enabled vehicles aligned with the evolving demands of global OEMs and the transition toward software-defined mobility.
Global Expansion With Local Heritage Intact
As the new majority owner, UST will assume operational responsibility for Italdesign while preserving its Italian heritage, design culture, and skilled workforce. Leveraging UST’s presence across more than 30 countries, Italdesign will be positioned to expand its international footprint and deepen engagement in emerging and established markets worldwide.
Audi Group will continue its close collaboration with Italdesign, reinforcing a partnership that has been in place for over five decades and ensuring long-term stability for ongoing and future automotive programs.
Leadership Perspectives
Geoffrey Bouquot, Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development at AUDI AG, emphasized that UST is well positioned to build on Italdesign’s strong foundation and unlock new opportunities while maintaining continuity within Audi’s development network.
Krishna Sudheendra, CEO of UST, highlighted the importance of respecting Italdesign’s legacy while introducing advanced digital and AI capabilities to support its next phase of growth.
Antonio Casu, CEO of Italdesign, noted that the partnership will accelerate service portfolio expansion and support Italdesign’s ambition to become a global integrator of hardware and software across automotive and high-technology sectors.
Regulatory Approval and Next Steps
The transaction remains subject to regulatory approvals. Financial details of the agreement have not been disclosed by the parties involved.
Disclaimer
This article is an independently written news summary based on publicly available information from the official UST press release. It is intended for informational purposes only and does not represent the views of Audi Group, UST, or Italdesign. All trademarks, brand names, and statements belong to their respective owners.
