Lamborghini executives expect their flagship supercars to retain V12 petrol engines for the foreseeable future, despite the company confirming plans to introduce a new electric vehicle by 2030. The company’s chief marketing and sales officer described the V12 engine as “the icon of Lamborghini” and while he admitted electric vehicles would be a part of its future, performance hybrid systems such as the ones in the Revuelto hypercar and Temrerario supercar will continue to lead the charge for as long as possible.
What has Lamborghini said?
Speaking to CompleteCar.ie at an event in London, UK, Federico Foschini said the V12 engine was part of the Italian brand’s identity, and the company would try to keep its hybrid cars as long as possible.
“The V12 is the icon of Lamborghini, so we will never give up the V12 until we can’t do it,” he said. “I cannot see Lamborghini not having a V12 as long as there is the opportunity. If there will be an open door for us to keep a hybrid powertrain with an internal combustion engine, it’s clear that the first thing we will set out is the V12.”
However, Foschini also admitted that it needed to be as “flexible as possible,” and a range that includes more “versatile” cars such as the plug-in hybrid Urus and electric Lanzador would be important to meet consumer demands.
“By 2030 we will have two supersport cars and the Urus - all hybrids - and we will be ready with a four-door electric car,” he announced. “In a transition period, you need to be the most flexible, and you can’t force someone to buy your car. In our world, you are buying a dream, so it’s even harder to force a customer into an electric car. Maybe the Urus, after 2035, will go electric, but we are prolonging the plug-in hybrid path and we will try to continue with [combustion engines in] the supersports cars.”
So do the Italians think all this electrification is just a fad?
Not exactly. The company is still developing an electric car and it will continue to produce hybrids, a decision taken to make the cars faster while still conforming with legislation. Engine boss Reuven Mohr said the company considered various options for the new Temerario, which has replaced the 5.2-litre V10 Huracan, but settled on a turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 hybrid system to provide the power and sensations customers demand.
“If we wanted to do another naturally aspirated engine, such as a V10, then for the power level the market is requesting, and with future legislation, it would be almost impossible,” he said. “Either you go with a super-high displacement and then you get very close to the character of the V12 Revuelto, or you have to rev to 12,000rpm and for a production engine, that’s not flying for this kind of car.
“It was clear turbocharging was the right way to go, so then we were discussing a V6 or V8. In terms of power output, a V6 would be sufficient, but it was important that we know we have come from the V10 and we shouldn’t go too deep with [reducing] the number of cylinders. But usually, with turbochargers, you have a problem at the lower end of the rev range, so we combined this with the electric motor we need to come close to the naturally aspirated behaviour and to get an instant response from the throttle. The electric motor has to manage the behaviour of the turbo engine.”
It’s clear, then, that Lamborghini sees hybrid power as the way forward for the time being. The Termerario’s hybrid system is apparently “prepared” for the forthcoming Euro 7 emissions regulations and was developed with future regulation in mind. Yet Mohr also says the potential of the Temerario’s V8 hybrid system is not yet being exploited, with the ability to exceed 1,000hp when even more upmarket models join the range. “The Temerario engine has the potential for more [power],” said Mohr. “I know [the limit of this powertrain], but unfortunately, I can’t tell you. What I can say is it can be a four-digit number.”
When’s the new electric vehicle coming?
The new electric car - a four-door, high-performance grand tourer based on the Lanzador concept revealed last year - is currently expected to arrive at some point before 2030. A completely new model, it will not replace any of Lamborghini’s existing models but will be sold alongside the hybrid-powered products currently on sale.
Although Lamborghini knows the electric model is coming, the brand remains undecided about when the car will be launched. The state of the electric vehicle market has been under scrutiny of late, with various manufacturers blaming weak demand for job cuts, so Lamborghini is monitoring the situation before coming to a decision. So, while 2030 is earmarked for the EV’s arrival, that could change if legislation is altered.
“The acceptance curve of full electric cars is flattening and this is even more valid for expensive cars,” said Lamborghini’s CEO, Stephan Winkelmann. “This is something that we think will change in the years to come and we think the end of the decade is the best time for an additional car like the Lanzador. We want to continue with hybrids as long as possible - maybe this is allowed after 2035 with synthetic fuel - but there are a lot of things not decided. Because the line-up is completely new, we are not in a hurry to decide what to do next, but we may postpone the Lanzador to a later time.”