Yesterday

Lamborghini EV dead in the water, confirms CEO

Been holding your breath for the new Lanzador? Nope, and nor was anyone else, it seems...

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Lamborghini has officially cancelled the Lanzador project, the car that was to become its first electric vehicle. In an interview with The Sunday Times, boss Stephan Winkelmann pointed to a lack of demand from its customers, unfavourable market conditions and the suitability of plug-in hybrids for its current lineup as justification for terminating the SUV, first seen in 2023. Just as Ferrari forges ahead with the Luce, notably…

“The decision was made after over a year of continuous internal discussion, engaging with customers, dealers, market analysis and global data,” he said. You only need to look at what happened with the cancelled Maserati MC20 Folgore (or the residuals of the Folgores that have made it) to see what the high-end customers are after at the moment. Or listen to Mate Rimac talk about how future cars from his trailblazing company are unlikely to be electric after slow Nevera sales. Or, more positively, reflect on the fact that the current PHEV range - Revuelto, Temerario, Urus - is arguably the most complete range of Lamborghinis ever. They have their successful little niche (with another 10,000 cars sold in 2025 for the second year in a row), plenty of buyer goodwill and malleable EU lawmakers. Why change?

“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”, Winkelmann added, without pulling any punches. While not direct rivals, the enormous losses recently posted by manufacturers like Ford, Stellantis and GM will reflected the almost complete lack of wind finding EV sails elsewhere. If it can’t be sold at mass market prices, then battery power surely has an even tougher conquest mission at hundreds of thousands. 

Especially, of course, when the brand involved is Lamborghini. Selling silence works for a battery-powered Rolls-Royce; it appeals rather less after 60 years of wailing V12s. The Revuelto is possibly the greatest flagship Lamborghini has ever made, with battery and engine in pretty much perfect harmony; we can expect a bit more range to follow (look at the Fenomeno for a preview of that), but no drastic uprooting of a technical approach that's working for Lamborghini and its customers. Particularly with exemptions in place for upcoming legislation, on account of small volumes. 

Speaking of the current cars, Winkelmann said PHEVs “offer the best of both worlds, combining the agility and low-rev boost of electric battery technology with the emotion and power output of an internal combustion engine”. Which has been the appeal for a while now; albeit with the benefits of hindsight and distance, it’s of no surprise, really, that customers captivated by decades of exotic combustion powerplants aren’t so keen on battery power. EVs undoubtedly have their place - the likes of Renault have shown how it ought to be done - but revs and sound are so central to the supercar experience that it’s impossible to imagine them without suck, squeeze, bang and blow. Or we just don’t want to. 

Of course, in the fullness of time, Winkelmann hasn’t entirely ruled out the idea. Probably the reception of the Ferrari will be monitored even more closely than usual. “Never say never, but only when the time is right. For the foreseeable future, only PHEVs. We will continue to develop electrification because we also need to be ready,” he conceded. “The times we are living in are fast moving; if you don’t react fast, you risk going out of business or losing momentum. Therefore [we need] a solid financial base to reinvest in the future.” There is no better base, it would seem, than the current hybrids, with a host of SVs, Performantes and whatnot still to come. Makes perfect sense. 

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• Lamborghini reveals jaw-dropping Fenomeno
• 2026 Lamborghini Temerario | UK Review

[MyV10BarksAndBites]

The initial message was deleted from this topic on 23 February 2026 at 18:28

[SDK]

The VAG car power types should look like this:

Seat = Full EV
Skoda = Full EV
Cupra = Full EV
VW = Full EV
Audi = Full EV, expect the S and RS models as full ICE
Porsche = EV for Taycan, Macan and Cayenne, the rest full ICE
Bentley = Full ICE
Lamborghini = Full ICE
Bugatti = Full ICE [now Bugatti Rimac Group]

[wistec1]

Great headline. I very much like the words EV and Dead together. I pity the fuel.

[ashenfie]

Think I was in the times. He was quite as say “ev was becoming an expensive hobby for the company”

[MyV10BarksAndBites]

Simply no business case for it

[TV200]

wistec1 said:

Great headline. I very much like the words EV and Dead together. I pity the fuel.

In my view the more choice the better. Even if it isn’t what I would choose.

[Terminator X]

Awaiting the EV fanboys to tell us what a mistake this is

TX.

[kambites]

SDK said:

The VAG car power types should look like this:
...
Audi = Full EV, expect the S and RS models as full ICE
...

I broadly agree with most of that, but there's no way that this bit would be commercially viable and IMO Bentley should offer both - EV drivetrains are really good for big heavy luxury cars. Arguably, Bugatti would suit an EV drive-train too, since their power-trains under VAG have always seemed more about brute power than character.

Makes sense for Lamborghini to wait anyway, because as part of VAG they don't really need to "learn how to make EVs to avoid getting left behind" as they can presumably just use a platform and drive-train from, say, Porsche or Audi when they finally decide they want an EV.

ETA: I also think Porsche need an electric Boxster/Cayman even if it doesn't sell well in the short term, not so much because it will be commercially successful now (although it may be) but because the group as a whole needs to figure out how to make good EV sports cars and Porsche is the most likely group to do it well.

Edited by kambites on Monday 23 February 19:14

[ManyMotors]

I understand. But this is bad since we will have electric sports cars and they will be fun. But we won't get them unless they are developed. Take a look at the interesting Yangwang U9 Extreme.

[smilo996]

Terminator X said:

Awaiting the EV fanboys to tell us what a mistake this is

TX.

and all the fossil clingons saying it shows EV's are failing to catch on🙄

[ITP]

SDK said:

The VAG car power types should look like this:

Seat = Full EV
Skoda = Full EV
Cupra = Full EV
VW = Full EV
Audi = Full EV, expect the S and RS models as full ICE
Porsche = EV for Taycan, Macan and Cayenne, the rest full ICE
Bentley = Full ICE
Lamborghini = Full ICE
Bugatti = Full ICE [now Bugatti Rimac Group]

In your plan there the ICE cars would add up to less than 5% of all VAG sales, probably less.
You would think this percentage was ok and would make literally no difference to the global climate and apparent catastrophic disaster, which is of course the reason we need to go EV they say.
But no, the mental euro (and our) politicians will say they must all be banned. Maybe we will allow you a few more years, but all ICE must be BANNED!!! Morons.

[Terminator X]

smilo996 said:

Terminator X said:

Awaiting the EV fanboys to tell us what a mistake this is

TX.

and all the fossil clingons saying it shows EV's are failing to catch on?

About 20% of new car sales despite massive incentives. Yeah really popular.

TX.

[smilo996]

how that should have looked. Why on earth Lambo should make an EV SUV just because Ferrari have. VW can more than offset the rules and always be a niche market for fossil driven cars.

[Mortarboard]

kambites said:

I broadly agree with most of that, but there's no way that this bit would be commercially viable and IMO Bentley should offer both - EV drivetrains are really good for big heavy luxury cars. Arguably, Bugatti would suit an EV drive-train too, since their power-trains under VAG have always seemed more about brute power than character.

Makes sense for Lamborghini to wait anyway, because as part of VAG they don't really need to "learn how to make EVs to avoid getting left behind" as they can presumably just use a platform and drive-train from, say, Porsche or Audi when they finally decide they want an EV.

ETA: I also think Porsche need an electric Boxster/Cayman even if it doesn't sell well in the short term, not so much because it will be commercially successful now (although it may be) but because the group as a whole needs to figure out how to make good EV sports cars and Porsche is the most likely group to do it well.

Edited by kambites on Monday 23 February 19:14

Except tyres get fupping expensive in that combo - heavy & EV

See cybertruck for details

M.

[Dombilano]

Lamborghini Avantime.

Top end EVs just aren't going to work, Ferrari are going to find this out very soon.

[plfrench]

ITP said:

SDK said:

The VAG car power types should look like this:

Seat = Full EV
Skoda = Full EV
Cupra = Full EV
VW = Full EV
Audi = Full EV, expect the S and RS models as full ICE
Porsche = EV for Taycan, Macan and Cayenne, the rest full ICE
Bentley = Full ICE
Lamborghini = Full ICE
Bugatti = Full ICE [now Bugatti Rimac Group]

In your plan there the ICE cars would add up to less than 5% of all VAG sales, probably less.
You would think this percentage was ok and would make literally no difference to the global climate and apparent catastrophic disaster, which is of course the reason we need to go EV they say.
But no, the mental euro (and our) politicians will say they must all be banned. Maybe we will allow you a few more years, but all ICE must be BANNED!!! Morons.

It's an interesting one... I can't see the governments around the various countries deciding to allow a 2-tier situation, whereby the ultra rich who can afford multi-million pound playthings are allowed to drive ICE, whereas the majority of the public will only be able to afford to buy EVs... tricky optics there

[biggbn]

Terminator X said:

Awaiting the EV fanboys to tell us what a mistake this is

TX.

No EV fanboy but I think that looks brilliant!!

[el romeral]

Good lads, just stick a V12 in there, instead.

[kambites]

Mortarboard said:

Except tyres get fupping expensive in that combo - heavy & EV

True, but by the looks of it the Flying Spur (probably the archetypal Bentley?) already comes with tyres with a load rating allowing for a higher total gross weight than you can drive on a normal B category licence (105Y, which is 925kg per wheel) so it needn't actually change anything, at least in that case.

Realistically an EV version would probably only bump the weight from the current 2300kg to maybe 2500 anyway. Bentley's hybrid power trains are heavy.

Edited by kambites on Monday 23 February 19:51

[biggbn]

smilo996 said:

how that should have looked. Why on earth Lambo should make an EV SUV just because Ferrari have. VW can more than offset the rules and always be a niche market for fossil driven cars.

I think that is a mess...