Last year was Lamborghini’s most successful year on record but even it cannot escape the effects of the world economic crisis. Lamborghini sales are down more than 30% for the first five months of the year and the company is expecting things to stay this way until at least 2011.

Speaking with Reuters, CEO Stephan Winkelmann revealed that Lamborghini does not see a market recovery until 2011 although the company can remain profitable. Winkelmann explained that Lamborghini would need to see sales drop more than 40% for the year before it runs into the red.

By contrast, for the past financial year Lamborghini recorded a profit rise of almost 30% with sales of 2,430 cars.

To remain profitable in coming years, however, Lamborghini will need to focus on emerging markets. While sales in the U.S. – Lamborghini’s single biggest market – have been hit the hardest, dropping more than 20% last year, the Middle Eastern region achieved a sales increase of 66%. China, meanwhile, more than doubled its sales in the past couple of months and the trend is expected to continue through the recession.

Importantly, Lamborghini intends to stick to its commitment of announcing at least one new product each year, an approach already seen in the new Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 Spyder and the Murcielago LP 670-4 Superveloce in recent times.