► Lanzador powertrain yet to be confirmed; will be either PHEV or EV
► Boss Winkelmann says a decision is due ‘in weeks’
► Raised ride-height, 2+2 grand tourer will be coming but date TBC
Lamborghini is yet to confirm the powertrain for the Lanzador 2+2 GT, with boss Stephan Winkelmann confirming that a decision will be taken ‘in weeks’ as to whether it will be electric only or plug-in hybrid. It comes off the back of Lamborghini confirming that the next all-new Urus will continue with the PHEV set-up of the current car, ditching the plan to be an all-electric SUV.
Winkelmann told us that ‘it’s not important what you can achieve in technology, it’s important what the customer wants.’ And for a brand such as Lamborghini, the customer wants petrol. Back in 2020, Winkelmann and Lamborghini made the decision to offer PHEVs but made a commitment that ‘whatever we do, [future cars] will be faster and emit less CO2.’ The brand felt the explanation was important because its customers were worried about the extra weight of a plug-in and what impact the tech might have on residual values. Yes, even Lamborghini clients care about the RV.
Lamborghini, like others, wants clarity, with Winkelmann pointing out that the Italian brand is a small company but with a global presence so it needs commonality between markets. ‘For us, the tough thing is to get global emissions standards. We will carry on with the V12 after 2030 [something Ferrari has also committed to] but the world is becoming more fragmented. We have to stay flexible and tremendously alert.’
Winkelmann feels alternative fuels present an opportunity, especially as they can future-proof existing cars, and not just Lamborghinis, by helping to lower the environmental impact of the current car parc beyond the new car ICE shut-off.
The good news is that the Lanzador itself will still be built, adding a vital fourth model line to Lamborghini’s revenue stream. And Winkelmann has confirmed that, despite being ‘shocked’ when he saw the level of in-car technology on offer in Chinese cars, Lamborghini won’t be going down the same route. ‘We stayed calm. We have to stay true to ourselves and not follow others.’ He doesn’t see the likes of the Yangwang U9 as impacting Lamborghini because ‘full electric is not on the list of our customers’.
Lamborghini designer Mitja Borkert continues to refine the company’s design language, unveiling the Manifesto concept car recently as an indicator of what to expect. Winkelmann himself talks of ‘clean design’, something that Audi has also pushed recently.
As such, it’s likely that the Lanzador looks will evolve significantly from when it was unveiled in 2023. If you want to read more on what we said back then, keep scrolling.
Being all-electric, the car is the sort of significant step-change that all manufacturers are making but that somehow feels even more significant here.
There is logic at play at why the brand has gone for this particular type of model, as the firm felt that the technology for an electric supercar isn’t quite there yet. Rouven Mohr, Lamborghini’s chief technical officer, explained that ‘at the moment, in the super sport segment, the full electric car is still not the best nor the first choice, from my point of view. It’s a little bit different in the more daily use segment. The disadvantages of electrification are not so relevant compared to the super sports.’
Detailed technical aspects are thin on the ground at the moment, not wholly unexpected given that it’s a concept car. Top speed isn’t released but will apparently meet the expectation of a Lamborghini customer. We don’t know the battery size or range (Lamborghini promises a ‘long range’, probably from a 100kWh+ battery), but we do know that it’s got all-wheel drive thanks to twin electric motors with a peak power of ‘over one megawatt’, which works out at more than 1340bhp.
That might not sound like much in an era when the likes of the Rimac Nevera can muster nearly 2000bhp, but the Lanzador isn’t going after that sort of even more rarefied market. For a ‘daily use car’, it’s probably enough.
Sounds decent. And hopefully bodes well for the driving experience.
Exactly – it still needs to be exciting. Lamborghini and its three key senior execs – CEO Stephan Winkelmann, Mohr and designer Mitja Borkert are categoric every time you meet them that any Lamborghini must stay true to the brand DNA.
Even though this is a show car, Mohr is still excited about the potential it shows. ‘We can do a lot of things that you cannot do with a combustion engine’, in terms of wheel speed control and vehicle dynamic control systems. ‘We believe that if we want to define the new driving experience of an electric Lambo, we have to enter this field [dynamic control] in a very strong way.’
There’s a fresh abbreviation for the new dynamic control system – LDVI stands for Lamborghini Dinamica Veicolo Integrata – that will appear in the production Lanzador as well as other series Lambos, which will be crucial in keeping a check on all the various sensors and actuators that come with electric performance cars.
Multiple drive modes are available offering a myriad of possibilities, almost to the point where Mohr and his team are dialling back on the options. He doesn’t want the owner to be swamped in set-up tweaks, preferring to rationalise them so the driver can focus on the task in hand.
It’s clear that even though the Lanzador points towards a more GT-focused Lamborghini, Mohr and his team won’t let it become flabby through corners. Weight is an issue that Lamborghini is looking at closely – Mohr has ‘a very ambitious target weight for the production car’ and is promising it’ll be lighter than some hybrid cars in the class. As the Lanzador rides on air suspension and has rear-wheel steer, it should be possible to make it feel more agile than its heft would suggest.
The Lanzador’s aero is also quite trick and points the way to future technology on the super sports cars. Borrowing smart aero from the Huracan Performante and Aventador SVJ, the Lanzador builds on the knowledge gleaned from those cars with its rear wing and blown diffusor design. Crucially for a range-sensitive electric car, Lamborghini is claiming it provides downforce without drag, thanks to a system of air outlets and louvers at the front and rear.
This gives the necessary road holding, but battery cooling is also crucial in the Lanzador’s repeatable performance. It isn’t a track car but it has to meet certain performance criteria and Mohr promises ‘the battery cooling will be the best in the market’.
The car doesn’t get the artificial gearshift of some electric cars, like the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. Mohr isn’t convinced about this technology yet because he feels it’s a bit ‘old-fashioned’ and tries too hard to mimic an ICE car, rather than develop a new way for the electric future. Instead, he promises a ‘surprise’ from the car’s steering wheel paddles.
Like most electric cars, Lamborghini promises the Lanzador will push the boundaries for the green agenda, right down to the textiles used. The sustainable materials, all made in Italy and therefore saving on the delivery miles, range from Merino wool (er, sourced from Australian sheep…) to eco-tanned leather that uses recycled water from the olive oil industry. Even underneath the stuff you can touch is covered, as Lamborghini has used 3D-printed recycled fibres in the foam for the seats.
Synthetic fibres are made from recycled plastic and regenerated carbon is currently under development to see if carbon fibre can be made more environmentally friendly. Every manufacturer is promising this, but to see someone like Lamborghini engage with it is encouraging.
With a launch date not until 2028, it’s going to be a while yet. But unlike when Lamborghini built the gorgeous Estoque concept in 2008 and then never got it into production, the Lanzador is on a much firmer footing. The Urus has been a huge commercial success for the firm and Lamborghini execs know this will only add to that. The Lanzador is coming.
‘The Lanzador is our first EV and the first in a new bodystyle for us,’ CEO Stephan Winkelmann told CAR at a briefing in January 2024. ‘It’s something of a new design language. Our studies suggest the bodystyle was accepted – the design is recognisable as a Lamborghini, but we need to deep-dive much more on the electrification. We will do a clinic this year with Lanzador. My big open topic on this side is, if you look at the car, you want to buy it today. But we need to project it forwards into the next five/six/seven years.
‘The power output is important. At least one megawatt, that is for sure. The combination of repeated acceleration, top speed and range – they must all be at the highest level. Range we have to work on at Lamborghini. We might have a bit of a discount because our customers have a lot of cars in their garage, so they are not dependent on one car to do all their daily activities. But for repeated acceleration, it is almost a commodity for us.’
CAR magazine's deputy editor has a penchant for automotive adventure and trading in quirky, often-unreliable old cars. A veteran of CAR magazine, Autocar, Top Gear and Auto Express, Piers has probably driven it, written it and reviewed it before most.
By Piers Ward
CAR's deputy editor, word wrangler, historic racer
