As the onslaught of hybrids and electric power continues to push through the car industry, it seems even Lamborghini can’t avoid the inevitable. CEO Stefano Domenicali confirmed to Top Gear that replacements for the company’s Huracan and Aventador supercars will be plug-in hybrids, coinciding with a rumor we heard back in October from Autocar.
But before you throw your computer out the window, there is some good news. “As long as I’m technical director, our super sports cars will not have a turbocharged engine,” Maurizio Reggiani, Lamborghini’s chief technical officer, told Top Gear. “It’s about emotion. If you don’t have emotion, then you have nothing.”
Reggiani went on to confirm the V10 and V12 engines will live on into the next generation, supplemented by electric power. That leaves just one question: Weight.
“The big questions are packaging and weight,” Reggiani told Top Gear. “Yes, this will be a silent Lamborghini, but push the accelerator and the engine will come,” he added. “Silence will only last for some seconds then comes the sound.”
When will a fully electric Lamborghini supercar arrive? The company predicts the tech won’t be ready for another eight years.
“I don’t think that the technology for a full electric Lamborghini will be ready until 2026,” he explained to Top Gear. “Hybrids are a step towards that.”