Now Lamborghini joins the Ferrari Luce pile-on! Hybrids not EVs the “right way to go”
With investors and car enthusiasts seemingly universally panning the new Ferrari Luce, Lamborghini has now added to the pile-on by suggesting plug-in hybrids, not EVs, were the “right way to go”.
The Lamborghini Lanzador was originally supposed to land in 2028 as a higher-riding SUV rival to the Ferrari Luce, before being cancelled at the last minute.
The Lanzador will now re-emerge as a plug-in hybrid, with Lamborghini product boss Stefano Cossalter citing weak demand for EVs in the luxury super sports segment.
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During an interview with Auto Express, he refused to explicitly stick the knife in.
“We’re not commenting on what other car manufacturers are doing, but we believe our strategy is the right one.
“It’s about the acceptance of [a Lamborghini EV] and the maturity of technology, because if we have to come out with an electric car, it has to be a masterpiece in terms of performance.”
Cossalter said Lamborghini customers weren’t interested in the pure straight-line acceleration offered by some Chinese brands.
“We believe that the technology is not yet mature enough to deliver the kind of emotion and performance an electric Lamborghini has to deliver.”
The product boss suggested it was possible to make a fast and fun battery-powered sports or supercar, but a Lamborghini needed to do more.
“You can really make a beautifully controlled car and make it a lot of fun. But we need to deliver emotions, as well as proper performance, for this car.”
Despite pulling the plug on its first EV, Cossalter said work would continue on the development of batteries and cell chemistry.
Set to share the Lanzador’s all-new plug-in hybrid V8 is the next-generation Urus SUV, which is due in 2029.
During the interview Cossalter also said the car-maker’s legendary V12 would live on beyond 2030.
Back at Maranello, Ferrari executives will be lamenting what was a huge week for the famous Prancing Horse brand, which saw its share price plunge six per cent, wiping billions off the company’s value shortly after it revealed its €550,000 (A$900,000) Ferrari Luce EV for the first time.
It was the 772kW Luce’s exterior design that came in for the most intense criticism from analysts and enthusiasts, who felt its styling did not live up to the brand’s heritage.
The biggest talking point remains the decision to outsource its design, inside and out, to LoveFrom, the design agency founded by former Apple design chief Sir Jony Ive and legendary Australian product designer Marc Newson.
Despite the controversy, the first modern Ferrari to be designed outside the company’s own design department has involved more than 60 new patents being filed, with Maranello choosing to develop its own battery and electric motors.
