Lamborghini Feels It May Be Time for a Gas-free Bull

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

After taking a look around the loftiest of automotive landscapes and reading a few tea leaves, Lamborghini seems close to signing off on a model that won’t have reviewers searching for exhaust note adjectives. There won’t be any use for them.

As European luxury marques — especially those under the Volkswagen Group umbrella — tiptoe tentatively into the EV realm, Lambo is poised to make its next introduction an eco warrior. This, of course, after the recent introduction of the Urus SUV.

According to Autocar, a four-door, four-seat EV awaits a green light at Lambo HQ.

The brand’s R&D boss, Maurizio Reggiani, claims the back-and-forth over Lambo’s potential fourth model first centered on engine placement. While the brand knew their model would become a grand tourer sedan (or four-door coupe, whatever), opinions differed on whether it would work best as a front-engine or mid-engine offering. As time went on, another option appeared. Why not dispense with internal propulsion altogether?

“If you look at the timing for a fourth model line, there is the potential that this will be the right time for a full-electric vehicle,” he said. The brand’s next model addition is expected by 2025. By that time, flagship EVs should have proliferated around Europe (ask Jaguar, Bentley, Ferrari, and the recently reborn Lagonda about their EV plans).

The brand wouldn’t have to look far to find a suitable and cost-efficient platform, either. A simple call to VW Group subsidiary Porsche could see the Taycan’s PPE platform put to work beneath Lambo’s upcoming GT.

“Performance will be important [in a 2+2],” Reggiani added. “We must be fast but not quite in the same way as we need to be in our super-sports cars. A fourth model line will be something a little bit different.”

No one would call the Taycan’s uppermost trims slow, by any means. And in five years’ time, it’s anyone’s guess how long-legged battery packs might become and how much output a cabal of compact electric motors might generate. Of course, crucial details will need to be laid out and locked in long before that time.

“There’s a minimum of four years in advance of launching a model to develop it,” Reggiani said.

[Image: Lamborghini]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Slavuta Nissan + profitability = cheap crap
  • ToolGuy Why would they change the grille?
  • Oberkanone Nissan proved it can skillfully put new frosting on an old cake with Frontier and Z. Yet, Nissan dealers are so broken they are not good at selling the Frontier. Z production is so minimal I've yet to see one. Could Nissan boost sales? Sure. I've heard Nissan plans to regain share at the low end of the market. Kicks, Versa and lower priced trims of their mainstream SUV's. I just don't see dealerships being motivated to support this effort. Nissan is just about as exciting and compelling as a CVT.
  • ToolGuy Anyone who knows, is this the (preliminary) work of the Ford Skunk Works?
  • Kwik_Shift_Pro4X I will drive my Frontier into the ground, but for a daily, I'd go with a perfectly fine Versa SR or Mazda3.
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