No EVs, more V12s: Lamborghini officially cancels its electric car plans

Lamborghini has issued a statement cancelling plans for its first EV, citing “very limited” demand for electric cars in the luxury super-sports segment. Instead, the much mooted but as-yet-unnamed “fourth model line” will launch with a plug-in hybrid powertrain – with the tech apparently offering the “most appropriate solution for the brand” for the time being. 

The news comes just months after Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann told Auto Express that his customers “don’t see [EV] as an alternative today. We could do [an EV], but I think it’s the wrong offer for the next years, for Lamborghini.”

Winkelmann said at the time that a decision on the brand’s future powertrain strategy was imminent, with this latest statement firming up the rumours that Lamborghini customers will have to wait even longer for a true zero-emissions supercar from Sant’Agata.

When Lamborghini first announced the electric Lanzador concept car back in summer 2023, it was billed as a glimpse at the firm’s zero-emissions future. Winkelmann said at the time: “We are opening a new car segment: the Ultra GT. This will offer customers a new, unparalleled Lamborghini driving experience thanks to pioneering technologies.”

However, success with the hybrid Revuelto and Urus SE, as well as strong demand for the new Temerario, has prompted Lamborghini to instead push ahead with PHEV development.

“The big step we made was to move the entire brand from ICE to PHEV – and this worked out,” Winkelmann told us. “This was an important and crucial moment in time because it’s additional weight, it’s additional cost, more complexity – a lot of explanation for the customer.

“We made one promise: the new cars will have a new design, they will be faster, and the benefit for Lamborghini, for the world, and also for you, is they will have lower CO2 emissions. This is the commitment we gave up-front and in a very simple way.

“So we’re happy and pleased this is working out. Luckily, we always had the saying that with the full-electric cars, we will have enough time to decide, and make up our mind if something is changing,” Winkelmann told us.

Today’s announcement from Lamborghini head office said: “Following extensive analysis and ongoing dialogue with dealers and customers, it became clear that the pace of adoption of pure BEV vehicles has slowed considerably, particularly within the luxury super sports segment, where demand remains very limited.”

However, the firm’s spokespeople insisted that from a technological perspective, Lamborghini is “fully prepared for full electric”, caveating that “market readiness within the segment is not yet aligned with this transition.

“Hybrid technology currently represents the most appropriate solution for the brand, combining meaningful CO₂ reduction with the emotional performance that defines Lamborghini DNA.”

Last year, Winkelmann also confirmed that the company would continue to produce its lauded V12 past 2030, and that the next-generation Urus SUV will be offered with a plug-in powertrain when it arrives before the end of the decade.

“We looked into it in a very analytical way”, Winkelmann told us. “We recognised that there is no way that we are going to do the Urus as a BEV. So we did a PHEV. The next generation is also a PHEV, which is coming in the year 2029”.

While the electric-only Lanzador was all but ready for production, it’s not yet clear whether the four-door 2+2 will be converted to run as a hybrid, or if Lamborghini has been forced to return to the drawing board and create something completely new. Referred to in official communications simply as the “fourth model line”, it will launch before the end of the decade and sit alongside the Revuelto, Temerario and Urus SE.

Did you know you can sell your car with Auto Express? Get the highest bid from our network of over 5,500 dealers and we'll do the rest. Click here to try Auto Express Sell My Car now...