Lamborghini Boss: Delaying EVs Was 'The Right Way To Go'

Stephan Winkelmann has zero regrets about pushing back the launch of Lambo's first electric cars.

Lamborghini Lanzador Concept

Adrian Padeanu

By: Adrian Padeanu

May 28, at 3:30am ET

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THE BREAKDOWN

The Lanzador gran tourer was supposed to come out this decade, but it's not happening anymore.
An electric Urus SUV has been indefinitely pushed back.
Lamborghini is still developing an EV for a post-2030 release.

It’s been nearly three years since Lamborghini did the unthinkable and revealed an electric car. However, unlike the production-ready Ferrari Luce that everyone is talking about these days, Lanzador was a concept. At the same time, the two-door GT was also a promise of a future EV model that people would actually be able to buy. That future won’t come as early as initially projected by Sant’Agata Bolognese.

The Lanzador was supposed to come out in 2028 before it was pushed back to 2029, only to be delayed indefinitely. Similarly, the electric Urus was initially planned for a market launch before the decade’s end, but that’s not going to happen either. Although Lamborghini is still developing an EV, its launch date has not been established, and it’s safe to say it won’t be coming out before 2030.

With the Ferrari Luce setting the Internet ablaze, CNBC asked Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann about his stance on abandoning the launch of the Lanzador and Urus EVs in the coming years. The company bearing the raging bull logo has no regrets about delaying electric cars indefinitely, saying it was “the right way to go.”

Lamborghini Buyers Are Not Interested In EVs

'By observing the market, we saw that the acceptance curve [of EVs] for our type of customers is not increasing, and that therefore we decided to move away from a full-electric car into a plug-in hybrid.'

Predictably, Lambo’s head honcho refused to talk about the Luce, only saying that “every brand, every company has to decide for themselves,” adding that “everybody has their own strategy.”

Winkelmann’s stance on EVs is hardly a surprise. Just a few months ago, the number one at the Audi-owned Italian exotic brand told The Sunday Times that electric cars are an “expensive hobby,” given the projected low take rate:

Lamborghini Calls EVs An 'Expensive Hobby'

'Investing heavily in full-EV development when the market and customer base are not ready would be an expensive hobby, and financially irresponsible towards shareholders, customers [and] to our employees and their families.'

Looking ahead, Lamborghini still plans to add a fourth model to join the Temerario, Revuelto, and the Urus. The 2+2 Lanzador is being engineered to accommodate a combustion engine in a plug-in hybrid powertrain, much like the existing models, all of which are PHEVs.

Lamborghini Lanzador EV Concept

Lamborghini Lanzador Concept - Details (1)

Lamborghini Lanzador Concept - Details (2)

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Motor1's Take: Lamborghini knows its buyers, and they want combustion engines. At the same time, electrification is inevitable to meet increasingly strict emissions regulations. That is why the only way to please customers and regulators is by developing plug-in hybrid V8 and V12 powertrains.

The time will come for an electric Lamborghini, but it won’t happen this decade. Ferrari sees things differently, and only time will tell whether Luce will be the sales flop that seemingly everyone on the Internet claims it’ll be.

Lamborghini Is Keeping Busy:

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Lamborghini's Next Model Won't Be Another SUV

Lamborghini Is Launching Several New Cars In 2026. An EV Will Follow

Source: CNBC

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