Italian automaker Lamborghini says it will be spending at least 1.8 billion euro (over Php 103.2 billion) to develop and release a hybrid lineup by 2024, according to Chief Executive Officer Stephan Winkelmann as reported by Reuters.
Lamborghini boss Stephan Winkelmann promises plug-in hybrid versions of the brand's lineup by 2024
In an interview with Italian national business daily Il Sole 24 Ore, Winkelmann said the cost emphasized Lamborghini’s commitment to sustainable mobility. “The investment will be huge because we have to face the full electric era while maintaining the values of Lamborghini’s DNA,” he said. “It will be a very difficult challenge.”
The Lamborghini boss adds that the investment does not include the development of a fully electric model, which it plans to unveil by 2030. Winkelmann describes it as the biggest investment that Lamborghini will make in its almost 60-year history.
In 2021, the automaker announced that it plans to spend 1.5 billion euros (Php 85.98 billion) to shift its three models – the Huracan, Aventador, and Urus – towards plug-in hybrid powertrains by 2025. Lamborghini’s goal of launching an all-electric model by the end of the decade coincides with the European Union’s mandate of reducing carbon emissions across member-countries by 55 percent compared to 1990 levels.
The Sián is Lamborghini's first hybrid model
A member of the Volkswagen Group, Lamborghini has largely remained mum about its upcoming electrified models. It did reveal its roadmap for electrification in 2021, which it credits to the introduction of the Sián (lightning) two years earlier.
The Sián is Lamborghini’s first hybrid production vehicle, based on the Aventador. It retains the latter’s 6.5-liter V12 engine, pairing it with an electric motor powered by supercapacitors instead of lithium-ion batteries.
As electrification will bring weight penalties in the form of battery packs, Lamborghini said that it plans to compensate by utilizing lightweight carbon fiber for its future models. Together with its rivals Ferrari, Aston Martin, and McLaren, the Sant’Agata Bolognese automaker is scrambling to meet EU’s emissions targets by 2030.
We pledge to bring you more automotive industry updates at Philkotse.com.