Lamborghini will be delaying the launch of its first all-electric model, the Lanzador crossover the company revealed in the summer of 2023. Like most automakers, Lamborghini has spent a staggering amount of time talking about how it plans on transitioning to an electrified future. But many brands have likewise started rethinking the feasibility of this strategy.
While historically Italian, Lamborghini has been owned by Germany’s Volkswagen Group since 1998. As you might recall, VW has been very keen on going all-electric ever since it was penalized for failing caught trying to circumvent government-mandated emissions testing in 2015. The resulting social fallout and financial penalties helped convince the brand that all-electric vehicles would be the future.
However, the hype surrounding EVs has started to fade. Despite offering certain advantages over combustion-engine vehicles, they also have drawbacks that have prevented them from becoming the dominant mode of transportation. Manufacturers assumed that the public would simply learn to adjust to electric cars. But sales have plateaued as most individuals possessing the kind of lifestyle that suits EV ownership have already bought in. Sales projections, cost analysts, and the industry’s timeline for the supportive infrastructure have all been wrong — encouraging many companies to walk back their all-electric aspirations.
Lamborghini just seems to be the latest. The Lanazdor was supposed to be a sleeker and more extreme alternative to the Plug-in Hybrid Urus SUV, offering roughly 1300 horsepower from its electric powertrain. Originally slated to launch in 2028, Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann has stated that the new target date will be in 2029.
“We do not think 2029 is late to have an electric car. We do not think that, in our segment, the market will be ready in 2025 or 2026,” Winkelmann was quoted as saying by Reuters from Lamborghini’s headquarters in Sant’Agata Bolognese.
From Reuters:
Lamborghini from this year has an entire hybrid three-model line-up, with the new version of Urus SE SUV, the Revuelto sports car and the new Temerario sports car, presented during the summer and which has a price of over 300,000 euros ($315,000), excluding value-added tax.
Winkelmann said Lamborghini was not in a hurry to push for electrification. The company also is waiting for a clearer regulatory outlook in the European Union, as a review of the bloc’s ban on the sale of new internal combustion engine cars from 2035 is currently scheduled in 2026.
Mandatory electrification is also receiving some pushback in the United States as the Trump administration looks poised to eliminate subsidies and examine emission requirements that are believed to serve as de facto bans on internal combustion engines. Trump has said he would like North America to have more domestically manufactured vehicles boasting traditional hardware and lower MSRPs.
Meanwhile, Lamborghini’s biggest rival plans on launching its first all-electric model next year with sales anticipated at the very start of 2026. Ferrari’ EV hasn’t been showcased as of yet.. But it’s rumored to be a sleek crossover akin to the Lanzador — meaning Lamborghini is going to be three years behind its biggest competitor in terms of electrification.
But Winkelmann has hinted that simply chasing the technology for the sake of electrification could be a mistake.
“We think this is the right way to face the future,” he told reporters. “There are discussions around synthetic fuels and this is an opportunity for our kind of cars”.
Synthetic fuels are something being pushed primarily by German automakers, which makes sense. Germany has a long history of trying to develop viable synthetic fuels to make up for a lack of oil reserves and Lamborghini is presently owned by VW. But it’s unclear whether or not synthetic fuels could be globally successful. It’s much like Japanese automakers’ interest in hydrogen-powered cars due to it being one of the only countries in the world where the technology is even remotely viable. However, the end goal in both cases is to improve the technology so that it can make headway elsewhere on the planet.
We’re starting to get the sense that Lamborghini just might quietly scrap the Lanzador if it isn’t convinced that it will sell. The crossover was very ambitious for Lamborghini, which claimed that the EV would be endlessly adjustable (throttle, suspension, steering feedback, etc) to provide the perfect type of feedback desired by drivers. Hints were even given that the vehicle could be set up for some off-road work.
Normally, we wouldn’t even think twice about an automaker delivering on promises made via a concept vehicle. But manufacturers like Lamborghini already build fanciful products and the elements of their prototypes tend to carry over more often than their mass-market counterparts. This is because the companies need to rationalize the staggeringly high MSRPs their vehicles carry.
The Italo-German automaker may simply want to take more time to ensure that it does things right. Too many high-end EVs have launched half baked in recent years. However, if VW is pulling away from electrification or Lamborghini doesn’t think it can deliver a winner, the Lanzador may just end up being delayed indefinitely.
[Images: Lamborghini]
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Source: The Truth About Cars
