Despite showing off the all-electric Lanzador in 2023, Lamborghini has confessed that it still hasn’t pinned down its electrification strategy. This comes during a period where EVs are seeing slowing take rates as more electrified models continue landing on the market, boosting overall market share. But the Italian supercar brand has reportedly said it hopes to make a final decision prior to 2026.
“I would not say this, but at the moment it’s clear that since we will launch the car [at the] end of the decade, we are not closing the door to any option because at the moment saying what we for sure will do would be a mistake,” Lamborghini Chief Technology Officer Rouven Mohr recently told The Drive after being questioned about the prospect of the Lanzador becoming a plug-in hybrid.
“We are observing the market trends and if I look at the biggest markets that are important for us at the moment, there is not the push in the EV direction. Especially now, for us there is a change in the mindset and it’s clear that we cannot customize a car for every market,” he continued. “So we have to be very careful which choice we make for the entire world and this decision is not yet taken. It’s right. We will make it by [the] end of the year most likely.”
While the EV question is something most automakers have had to contend with, the stakes for luxury and performance brands are unique. Volume manufacturers have seen mixed success with electrified models. But the development costs have been hard to rationalize as hybrid powertrains remain far more popular than their plug-in counterparts.
This has likewise been true for premium brands. However, they’re in the bizarre position of having a client base that should be among the most willing to adopt and shun EVs outright. The only problem is that the sales just aren’t there.
In terms of luxury, pure electrics offer some unique benefits. With enough money put into their development, EVs can become exceptionally quiet and comfortable cruisers. Boasting the latest tech has likewise been a major component of what defines luxury vehicles since their inception. Novel features would first appear on high-end automobiles and trickle down to mainstream models, boasting lower MSRPs, over the successive years. Mercedes-Benz was well known for previewing the latest and greatest tech on the S-Class for decades. But the German brand has had difficulties selling EVs and the situation is only getting worse as government incentives have dried up.
The EQS has been a dismal failure for the company in our market and Mercedes’ CEO has even suggested that simply throwing in tech for tech’s sake doesn’t necessarily offer a sense of true craftsmanship. Your author has made the watch analogy before. While one can certainly make an exceptional digital watch, many people won’t want to shell out the big bucks for anything other than a mechanical timepiece they believe will last for generations.
It’s a similar story in terms of performance. While electric motors allow for instantaneous torque and unique ways of delivering it via hub motors, the added weight of battery packs often serves to spoil the recipe. Combine that with generalized EV range problems being exacerbated by way of an automobile that prioritizes power over efficiency and we start to see just how difficult a balancing act this all becomes.
Ultra-premium brands like Lamborghini only sell a handful of models relative to mainstream marques, making the prospect of fielding a dud that much less appetizing. Granted, being supported by Volkswagen Group helps it cope with some of the pressure. But it may have likewise encouraged the automaker to pivot to EVs sooner than it otherwise would have at the behest of its parent company.
Ferrari has been hesitant to launch a new EV, too. It’s been leaning upon hybridization to chase performance, netting the company some of the benefits of electrification without the drawbacks of a heavy battery. But the company is supposed to show us something fully electric next month.
Meanwhile, Rimac has struggled to move its own EV despite the model breaking all sorts of performance records for the company. The logic was that Rimiac being singularly fixated on pushing the boundaries of automotive physics (regardless of cost) meant its customers would buy whatever unit had the best spec sheet. But the all-electric Nevera has had trouble selling anywhere near the 150 models Rimac planned on producing. This has led CEO Mate Rimac to suggest that the top of the market just isn’t interested in EVs anymore.
With hybridization remaining comparatively popular, Lamborghini’s Mohr was asked about what would change in terms of converting the formerly all-electric Lanzador into a plug-in hybrid (PHEV).
“In the detail, yes, absolutely. But overall it would be possible to have a similar appearance, for sure,” he said. “Packaging for sure could be different, but from the customer perception, it would be also possible to do a similar car with combustion. But for sure it’s clear we are investigating this, we are also questioning what is the right body type because it can be that the body type for a full electric car is better, a different choice.”
That response is extremely open ended. Lamborghini is effectively suggesting the model could be readapted into a PHEV or scrapped entirely so the company could focus on something entirely different. That’s a diplomatic answer and presumably one that stems from leadership not really knowing what to do, which is understandable. The whole of Volkswagen Group is presently weighing its options in terms of electrification while major markets have suggested deregulating emission standards (e.g. United States). At the same time, other regions still want to institute widespread bans of new combustion vehicles (e.g. European Union) by 2035.
Lamborghini doesn’t seem interested in shying away from hyping tech in general, however. In the same interview, Mohr discussed new sensors and artificial intelligence that could allegedly read the emotions of the driver, assess the mood, and then adapt how the car behaves in real time. This could include things like having the car dictate steering inputs and feedback, which he noted many automobiles already do to a limited degree. But this brings us back to the watch analogy and where the line for drivers exists in terms of electronics. Are Lamborghini buyers seeking an experience based upon achieving a synergistic oneness with the machine or do they want the on-board computer to make an increasing number of decisions for them to lower the skill threshold for maximum performance? The answer is probably yes to both or no to either, depending on the individual behind the wheel. But that isn’t going to make developing those cars any easier.
[Images: Lamborghini]
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