Two years ago, Lamborghini unveiled the Lanzador concept as a first look at its long-promised first EV. A road car based on the concept seemed far away when it was announced alongside a 2028 ETA, but that goal has since been delayed all the way to 2029 — and possibly even further. Now, Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann is suggesting that the final product may not be an EV at all.
The latest update comes from a conversation that Winkelmann had with Australia's CarExpert. In the interview, the Lamborghini CEO says that the brand has not decided yet whether its fourth model will be a conventional battery electric vehicle or if it will be a plug-in hybrid like the next generation of Urus. He notes that "the acceptance curve of the electric cars worldwide and globally, not only in our type of segment, is flattening," and adds that the issue is bigger with the sort of cars that Lamborghini builds.
With demand for high-end electric products from legacy manufacturers cooling, it currently makes sense that Lamborghini would not want to build a 2+2 EV like the Lanzador concept. That could change very quickly, however, and the same decision may look foolish if the brand arrives in 2029 with a PHEV product after buyers shifted their interest back toward high-end EVs.
At the moment, high-performance PHEV products are well represented by options like the current BMW M5 and Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid. A Lanzador-like grand tourer with both battery power and an internal combustion engine could serve as an upscale competitor to those; at a recent event for the Temerario, Lamborghini execs described the Lanzador as more of a daily driver than a super-sports car, which would put it in line with the aforementioned vehicles. Or, the brand could opt to stick with its original plan and sell the car against high-end EVs like the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT and the electric Ferrari set to be unveiled later this year. Lamborghini is running out of time to make that choice on what the final car will be, but either way, the finished product won't be seen for a few years.
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