Lambo’s electric GT dream
As Lamborghini faces up to its electrification options, a planned fourth model now looks set to be a fully-electric grand tourer from 2027. By Georg Kacher
Future scoop Illustration: Avarvarii
Lamborghini’s secret product plan revealed
Lamborghini’s rivals are going from strength to strength or, at the very least, evolving with the times. Ferrari’s electrified sports cars are re-writing the performance rule book, Porsche is successfully branching into new segments, Aston’s forged robust ties with AMG and heavily revised its future product plan, and even McLaren may engineer a last-minute turnaround with or without the support of Audi, which is still in contention to buy McLaren. So Lamborghini needs to step up its game, electrify with conviction and pursue new segments.
Asked to name the key dynamic virtues inherent in every future Lamborghini, chief technical officer Maurizio Reggiani tells CAR: ‘Awesome design, best-in-class handling, the ability to accelerate in under 3.0sec from 0-62mph and to exceed 188mph.’
Although electrification was not listed as a specific must-have, the Italians will go with the flow with the next Aventador, which will be a hybrid when it arrives in 2023. A plug-in hybrid Urus will follow, and the next Huracan is expected to downsize to a V8.
At the recent Direzione Cor Tauri conference – which was focused on Lamborghini’s route to environmental sustainability – chief executive Stephan Winkelmann outlined his plan for Lambo’s next decade. It includes an entirely new fourth model alongside the Huracan, Aventador and Urus. For several years, this project has been the worst kept secret within Lamborghini. The scope of options was about as wide as the Bologna ring road but, during Winkelmann’s first tenure (2005-2016), the CEO favoured a four-door sports saloon inspired by the Estoque concept (below). And when Markus Duesmann became boss of Audi, Lambo’s generous parent, his leading candidates were a pure-electric crossover or a 2+2 GT. The latter was favoured, as being less likely to cannibalise Urus sales.
So the as-yet-unnamed grand tourer is provisionally marked for launch in 2027, taking full advantage of a truly next-generation battery-electric platform, SSP, spawned by Audi’s Project Artemis, which will underpin everything BEV from the premium or sports end of the Group by 2030. And, even if the new Lambo GT does use a lot of common parts, its design team will implement all of the brand’s experience and deliver all the wow factor expected from Sant’Agata.
Stephan Winkelmann CEO, Lamborghini
‘We have a clear vision of a whole new model – an all-electric Lamborghini planned for the second half of this decade. My plans are built on thorough analysis of business plans, and I promise that we are determined and perserverant with a target like this in sight.’
1 ARTEMIS ASSISTANCE
Lambo’s avoiding using the e-Tron GT and Taycan’s J1 platform in favour of SSP: a new Groupwide battery-electric platform that’s used research from Audi’s Project Artemis. SSP will replace both MEB and PPE from 2025 onwards, allowing for real autonomy, better battery capacities and slicker manufacturing.
2 SAFE ONCE AGAIN
Lamborghini was briefly up for sale 18 months ago. In the end, the Group kept it – perhaps with wise foresight: if an Audi/McLaren deal does happen, the two marques could synergise in production without having to approach Porsche for help – useful for this GT.
3 WHY MESS WITH SUCCESS?
The Urus is Lamborghini’s money printing machine right now. There’s still some life in it yet, with a Urus PHEV and 800bhp Sport RS on the way. The fourth model could have been an electric crossover to sit alongside a plugin hybrid Urus, but insiders say Lambo was worried the new model would cannibalise its sales success.
4 HERITAGE ON TAP
Sant’Agata’s marketing wizards could easily generate more one- and fewoffs. Trademarked names that could be used this way include Jota, Superleggera and Estrema. Also on the cards is a Huracan JV Stradale (even fiercer than the Huracan STO, above) with stealth Touring package inspired by the Porsche 911 GT3