Lamborghini will pay homage to combustion engines with the introduction of two new V12 luxury sports cars this year before it makes a push into electrification as the company tries to balance its storied gas-powered past with a hybrid, and eventually electric, future.
The company laid out Tuesday its electrification roadmap, a plan that will see its full lineup of vehicles become hybrids by the end of 2024 and the launch of an all-electric Lamborghini in the second half of the decade.
Lamborghini said it plans to invest 1.5 billion euros ($1.82 million) over four years to make the transition to hybrid vehicles, the largest allocation in its history. The Volkswagen-owned brand it will launch its first hybrid series production car in 2023 and then hybridize the rest of the lineup the following year. During this second phase of its roadmap, Lamborghini will focus on developing new technologies and the application of lightweight carbon fiber materials — both of which will be crucial in compensating for weight due to electrification, the company said.
The aim, during this phase, is to reduce the product emissions 50% by 2025, the company said.
“Lamborghini’s electrification plan is a newly-plotted course, necessary in the context of a radically-changing world, where we want to make our contribution by continuing to reduce environmental impact through concrete projects,” Lamborghini President and CEO Stephan Winkelmann said in a statement. He emphasized that this plan, which begins with a celebration of the combustion engine, will take the company towards a “more sustainable future while always remaining faithful to our DNA.”
The Italian brand has already moved towards hybrids with the Sián and its roofless cousin the Sián Roadster. These vehicles, which were unveiled in 2019 and 2020 respectively, are mid-engine sports cars that combine a naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12 engine, a supercapcitor instead of a lithium-ion battery that operates its powertrain and a 48-volt electric motor.
Together, this system produces 819 horsepower that propels the vehicle from zero to 62 mph in 2.8 seconds and a top speed of 218 mph. Lamborghini is producing 63 Sián and 19 Sián Roadsters. All of these have been sold, which suggests there is demand for a hybridized version of the classic Lamborghini.
