Lamborghini will launch its first electric vehicle in 2028, but it won’t be one of the brand’s traditional supercars.
In an interview with Bloomberg published on Sunday, Stephan Winkelmann, Lamborghini’s CEO, said demand for electric supercars remains nascent, and that Lamborghini plans to take a wait-and-see approach. The automaker is currently focused on plug-in hybrid powertrains for its supercars.
The CEO noted supercars are not selling so far. “It’s too early, and we have to see down the road if and when this is going to happen,” he said.
Winkelmann said it isn’t a lack of performance but rather a lack of the emotional aspect of gas-powered supercars. He specifically mentioned the sound of the Lamborghini Huracán’s V-10 engine being something an EV can’t replicate.
Stephan Winkelmann
The comments mirror those made by Rimac Group CEO and founder Mate Rimac earlier this month during the Financial Times Future of the Car conference in London, where he said buyers in the high-end segment prefer a more emotive, more analog experience. Rimac cited the low demand for his own Nevera electric hypercar, which has failed to sell out despite being launched in 2021 with a build run of only 150 units.
It’s not just the supercar segment where the initial hype for EVs is fading. Some major automakers have started to backtrack on plans to exclusively sell EVs due to growth in EV demand being slower than expected. One of them is Mercedes-Benz, which in February said it now expects to sell gas-powered cars well into the next decade in contrast to its previous plan to sell only EVs by 2030.
In his interview with Bloomberg, Winkelmann said an alternative to battery power in the quest to reduce emissions could be the use of carbon-neutral e-fuels, like what fellow Volkswagen Group brand Porsche is championing. Winkelmann said there might be a major push to adopt the solution if the European Union goes ahead with its plan to enable internal-combustion cars running on e-fuels to be sold beyond the union’s 2035 ban on the sale of vehicles with carbon emissions. A final decision is expected within the next two years.
Lamborghini’s first EV will be a grand tourer with 2+2 seating, not unlike the Espada launched in the 1960s. Lamborghini previewed the design last year with the Lanzador concept and said the production version will form a fourth model line for the brand.
