In an effort to present a greener face to the brand, Lamborghini will progressively electrify its range of cars. The first step will include hybrid powertrains, with plug in hybrids dominating. CEO Stephan Winkelmann, who has returned to lead the brand after a long first innings, claimed this would reduce emissions drastically. “Hybridisation will cut CO2 emissions by at least 50 percent by 2025” he claims, “but we also have to keep the promise of improvements in terms of performance.”
Lamborghini won’t do a full electric until towards the end of the decade, around 2028. “The second phase of electrification is the full electric” explains Winkelmann. “We don’t have to be the first one doing it but when we come, we really have to be the best.”
Lamborghini Aventador hybrid to come in 2023
The new Aventador will get a new V12, according to Lamborghini boss Stephan Winkelmann. Likely to be marginally smaller in capacity but higher revving, it is expected to make up for the relative loss in torque by using electric boost. What’s also interesting is that the new car will use a plug-in hybrid set-up with an electric-only mode. However, rather than energy retaining super-capacitors that are used on the limited-edition Countach LPI 800-4, this car will use regular Lithium-ion batteries. With regular batteries, you can store the energy for longer and this is the major difference. “For the time being in our hybridisation plan, there are no super capacitors” says Winkelmann. “We will see in the future if there is an opportunity to use these as well, but for now the big first step is the plug-in hybrids.”
Lamborghini Urus hybrid will follow soon
Lamborghini’s bestseller, the Urus SUV, will be updated next year. Likely to be called the EVO, it will be both lighter and more powerful, with the torque output likely to close in on the 900Nm mark. Changes to the exterior are expected to include sharper details on the nose and more planted stance at the rear. Following close on its heels will be a hybrid version that Lamborghini promises will be both, greener and faster. Likely to use an updated and more powerful version of the engine-motor combination that powers the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid, the power unit could close in on 700hp and deliver around 40km of electric driving range.
Lamborghini Huracan hybrid expected in 2024
By 2025 Lamborghini will only offer hybrid cars in its line-up. While details on the new powertrain for the Huracan are sketchy, the company could either carry on with the V10 or go to the ‘greener’ twin-turbo V8, the latter an engine shared among many VW-Audi group companies. Audi has already stopped using the V10. The plug-in hybrid set-up, as on the Aventador, will offer electric-only range, and here could also have an electric-only front axle.
Lamborghini’s first all-electric expected in 2028
Lamborghini’s fourth model will be an all-electric one. Unlike Lamborghini’s super sportscars, the first electric model will be more versatile, according to Winkelmann. It is likely to include level-four autonomous driving to make it more useable in city driving and is likely to be space efficient as well. The challenge, of course, will be managing the weight of the batteries. “At the end of the day, batteries will always have weight and it is important to have the balance between the power to weight ratio” says Winkelmann. “The other key element is going to be the suspensions, braking systems. All these have to go hand-in-hand, so the feeling of lightness can stay in the cars.” Lamborghini is even working on giving a distinctive sound to its all-electric car. It’s likely to be “a different sound,” as he puts it, but it could give the car a lot of character, nonetheless.
Electrification and pure electrics will pose a challenge to Lamborghini, but with VW-Audi investing massively in new-age technology, the Italian supercar firm could be on the road to a future where the innate character and performance of its cars remains relatively intact.
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