INTERVIEW-Lamborghini to enter Latin America next year

* Lamborghini to enter Latin American market next year

* Will expand number of showrooms in China

* Sees record sales in '08, declined to give '09 forecast

By Nichola Groom

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 19 (Reuters) - Italian sports car maker Lamborghini will enter Latin America next year and expand its presence in China, despite a global economic downturn that is choking growth in the rest of the auto industry, its chief executive said on Wednesday.

In an in interview at the Los Angeles auto show, Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann also said the company was on track for record sales this year, but would not give a forecast for 2009.

To help drive sales in what is expected to be a dismal year for the auto industry as a whole, Winkelmann said Lamborghini would open new dealerships "in those pockets of wealth around the world," including China, Mexico and possibly Brazil.

The company plans to open two dealerships in Mexico in 2009, one in Mexico City and one in Monterey.

It will also open new showrooms in China. The company already has dealerships in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai.

Lamborghini is also "looking into Brazil," Winkelmann added.

Asked if he was worried about entering the Latin American market in such a difficult economic climate, Winkelmann said: "We will not push into the market. We will do it gradually. It's more important to have controlled growth."

Lamborghini, which competes with Ferrari in speed and exclusivity, is a unit of Volkswagen AG's Audi.

The company typically sells about 3,000 cars a year, Winkelmann said.

With its newest model unveiled on Wednesday, the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 Spyder, the company reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 18 percent.

"This is quite an improvement for a company like ours," Winkelmann said, adding that the industry's push toward greener cars was at odds with Lamborghini's reputation for making fast performance cars.

"A super sports car is all about acceleration and top speed, and acceleration and top speed is equal to consumption. And consumption is equal to CO2. The sound, the engine, is something that is consistent with our DNA," he added. (Editing by Andre Grenon)