There’s something gravely suspect about the words “Lamborghini electrification strategy.” It’s almost hard to take at face value, because even as the rest of the automotive industry is moving in lockstep toward an all-electric future, you still kind of expect Lamborghini to do what it’s always done: ignore everyone else and keep cranking out those V12s.
Alas, even Lamborghini isn’t immune to the relentless advance of technology and global CO2 regulations. On Tuesday the Sant’Agata supercar maker laid out its plan for the decade ahead. Called “Direzione Cor Tauri” (or “towards Cor Tauri,” the star in the Taurus constellation; Taurus, bull — get it?) the strategy involves three phases, beginning with a farewell to purely internal combustion-powered sports cars. Lamborghini says the final two models exclusively driven by V12s will be introduced this year.
This phase will be characterized by the development of combustion engines for versions that pay homage to the brand’s glorious history and iconic products past and present, but always under the impetus of the visionary spirit that distinguishes Lamborghini.
Then, sometime in 2023 Lamborghini will begin transitioning its entire range to hybrid tech. It looks to complete this stage before the end of 2024. To date, Lamborghini’s only hybrid to date is the limited-production Sián, but three years’ time, the company expects all of its series production models to have an electric motor. Judging from its press release, engineers in Sant’Agata are already concerned about the weight implications:
Performance and the authentic Lamborghini driving experience will remain the focus of the company’s engineers and technicians in developing new technologies, and the application of lightweight carbon fiber materials will be crucial in compensating for weight due to electrification. The company’s internal target for this phase is to reduce product CO2 emissions by 50% by the beginning of 2025.
Finally, sometime in “the second half of the decade” — precise, I know — Lamborghini will launch its first fully battery-electric model.
To make all this happen, Lamborghini will launch a 1.5 billion-euro investment in developing electrification tech over the course of four years, which it says is the largest in its history. The company says its Sant’Agata headquarters achieved carbon neutrality in 2015, and it looks to halve its CO2 emissions by 2025.