Lamborghini holding off on fully electric cars: CEO
Lamborghini SpA is holding off for now on making its roaring sports cars fully electric, as skepticism around the technology grows.
While performance would not be an issue in an electric vehicle, some emotional aspects — such as the sound of the Huracan’s V10 engine — cannot be replicated, Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann said.
The Volkswagen AG-owned brand also remains open to use e-fuels if regulation becomes more favorable, he said.
Photo: Remo Casilli, Reuters
Fully electric sports supercars “is not something that is selling so far,” Winkelmann said in an interview.
“It’s too early, and we have to see down the road if and when this is going to happen,” Winkelmann added.
It is a tense time in the high-end automotive sector, which is deliberating on how to deal with the regulatory pressure to lower emissions, as demand for electric vehicles slows and governments scale back subsidies for the technology.
Mercedes-Benz Group AG has stopped development of separate underpinnings for electric luxury sedans to save money and plans to sell vehicles running on gasoline longer than expected.
Lamborghini’s rival, Ferrari NV, is further along in its electrification push.
Next month, it plans to open a factory that would make hybrid and electric supercars in Maranello, Italy.
Its first fully electric model is due next year.
BYD Co (比亞迪) has beaten both to the punch after unveiling a 1.68 million yuan (US$236,910) electric sports car in February.
The Yangwang U9 would initially be sold only in China, where Lamborghini’s exposure is “limited,” Winkelmann said.
Lamborghini has had success selling plug-in hybrids, including the Revuelto sports car, but its first fully electric model — the two-door Lanzador crossover — would not arrive until 2028.
Still, the company is overhauling its supply chain and production to produce Lamborghinis with 40 percent fewer carbon dioxide emissions by 2030, Winkelmann said.
When it comes to synthetic fuels, the brand is benefiting from work at Porsche, another luxury auto maker in Volkswagen’s portfolio.
E-fuels could come into greater focus in two years, when the EU reviews its plan to effectively ban new combustion engine car sales by 2035.
“There might be an opportunity if things change,” Winkelmann said.
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