Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann says that its best-selling Super SUV is going to be fully electric by the end of the decade. The high-end performance sports brand was born on the idea of enhancing the driving experience and providing the “perfect car”. The auto industry kept changing, and so did the automaker to keep up with the advancements.
Lamborghini unveiled his first model in 1963, the 350 GTV. Despite several ownership changes since, Lamborghini has remained true to its roots, producing some of the most sought-after supercars across the globe. However, as Lamborghini has witnessed over the years, to truly thrive in the auto market, it takes evolving. After watching the SUV market continue to expand over the years, the iconic brand unveiled what it called the first “Super Sport Utility Vehicle” in 2017, the Lamborghini Urus that takes the soul of a sports car and combines it with the functionality of an SUV.
The Urus has helped propel the automaker to new heights as it broke sales records over the past two years. But Lamborghini is watching the industry transition again, this time to electric vehicles. Last January, Winkelmann claimed 2022 would be the last year we would see a new solely gas-powered Lambo released. Beginning this year, Lamborghini is focusing on hybrid and PHEVs as it progresses toward its first fully electric vehicle. The brand is spending $1.8 billion over the next four years with plans to convert several popular models, including the Urus, to a PHEV by 2024.
Electric models
Lamborghini’s first fully electric model, a “2+2, two-door car with more ground clearance,” will hit the market in 2028. The brand’s EV will be followed up by an electric Urus model in 2029. According to Winkelmann, speaking with journalists Friday and confirmed by Road & Track, the high-performance Urus Super SUV will receive an electric upgrade in 2029. It was confirmed when Winkelmann added, “In ’28 and ’29 we will have our first two BEVs. We will have a fourth model, so today we have three models. It will be the first one to be completely a BEV car in 2028. And then in 2029, there will be the new Urus.”
Until then, Lamborghini plans to “hybridize” its lineup with an Aventador HEV due in 2023, followed by a Huracan PHEV in late 2024, and a Urus PHEV SUV also in 2024. Several automakers, like Tesla, already have high-performance, long-range SUVs, with more due out in the next few years. Although Lamborghini has established itself as a brand people idolize, new electric brands are popping up rapidly, stealing traditional automakers’ shine.
