Lamborghini CEO: no Chinese car brand is a threat to us
Lamborghini isn’t bothered by cars like the 1,583bhp Denza Z, primarily because it’s electric
Chinese supercar brands such as Denza and YangWang may be creating machines that are more powerful and faster than anything Lamborghini has ever made, but so far, the raging bull does not feel threatened by any of them.
Auto Express spoke to Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann at the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed, where the new 1,583bhp Denza Z was revealed. This is a car supposedly capable of 0-62mph in less than two seconds, and with a top speed of up to 217mph.
“We don’t see this as a threat,” the boss of Lamborghini said nonchalantly, nor could he think of a single Chinese brand that stood out as a potential challenger to the renowned Italian outfit.
“Because they are doing electric cars,” he explained, “and if we say we are not doing electric cars for a reason, then there is also an idea behind how we look at our Chinese competitors or Chinese manufacturers.”
Some of the software in Chinese cars seemed to be the only thing that Winkelmann had taken notice of. But, he said, they cannot compete “on the performance of our cars, the sound and the emotion”.
Lamborghini was due to launch its first electric car in the next few years, but pushed the model back until sometime after 2030 due to lack of customer demand and the technology not being good enough yet. “If we have to come out with an electric car, it has to be a masterpiece in terms of performance,” Stefano Cossalter, a product director at Lamborghini said to us.
“I’m feeling very well about the decision [to delay the first Lamborghini EV]”, Winkelmann cheerfully told us, with customers apparently agreeing it was the right call. Instead, the company is going to remain focused on plug-in hybrid powertrains for now, and keep its legendary V12 engine – another edge the brand has over all-electric newcomers to the field – alive for as long as possible.
However, Winkelmann did add that while Chinese car makers are not considered a threat to Lamborghini right now, that might change in the future: “I always say, never say never.”
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