A new Lamborghini hybrid vehicle could be on the horizon. The business case has not been signed off on just yet, but the Lamborghini Urus SUV could be the first plug-in hybrid for the automaker.
Originally offered as a non-hybrid twin-turbo V8 model, future iterations could involve hybrid technology.
A Lamborghini hybrid vehicle would be the first for the company. The Urus came about as the potential model due to more space in the vehicle. With a bigger luggage compartment, for example, the batteries can be installed in a position that will work without required a complete redevelopment of the vehicle itself.
Lamborghini may be better known for its sports cars, like the Huracán and Aventador, but it doesn’t sound like either of those models has the same sort of potential the Urus does. Research and development found that the challenge to include a hybrid powertrain in a sports car could have too much of a negative impact. When the batteries used weigh approximately 200 kilograms, the weight distribution within the vehicle changes immensely.
Furthermore, the amount of money required to lessen the weight elsewhere would mean investing in materials like titanium, magnesium and carbon fiber, all with various costs.
President and chief executive Stephan Winkelmann noted a hybrid sports car was difficult to justify financially. Maintaining a good ratio of power to weight while having a hybrid car that could run a charge of, for example, 50 kilometers, would likely drive the price of a car to a million pounds.
Though Winkelmann would not commit to when a decision about the Lamborghini hybrid vehicle and its production, he did note that it was crucial for the company to plan a vehicle where it could be “easy to install a hybrid system without dramatic modification[s] in the future.”
