This luxury electric supercar is dead before it even had a chance

The high-riding Lamborghini Lanzador, the high-riding electric supercar, won’t be built after all. Lamborghini is scrapping plans for its first EV.

Lamborghini cancels the Lanzador EV to focus on PHEVs

Lamborghini promised its first electric EV would deliver an “unprecedented” driving experience, but we will never get to see it. At least, not for the foreseeable future.

CEO Stephan Winkelmann confirmed to The Sunday Times that the Lanzador EV has been officially canceled. According to Winkelmann, developing electric vehicles is “an expensive hobby,” and the Lanzador EV will be replaced by a plug-in hybrid (PHEV).

The Italian luxury sports car maker will continue building internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles “for as long as possible,” Winkelmann added.

Why? Lamborghini’s CEO said its buyers value “emotional experience,” and that “EVs, in their current form, struggle to deliver this specific emotional connection.” Winkelmann pointed to the lack of engine noise, one of the brand’s biggest selling points, as the reason.

“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,” he told The Sunday Times.

Instead, Lamborghini will focus on plug-in hybrids, which, according to Winkelmann, “offer the best of both worlds, combining the agility and low-rev boost of electric battery technology” with the “emotion” and sounds of an ICE engine.

So, will we ever see a fully electric Lamborghini? Winkelmann said, “Never say never, but only when the time is right. For the foreseeable future, only PHEVs.”

Lamborghini’s current lineup consists of the Urus SUV, Temerario, and Revuelta sports car. All of which are plug-in hybrids, PHEVs.

The announcement comes after a Bloomberg report last week claimed Porsche may cancel the 718 Boxster and Cayman electric sports cars due to higher expenses.

Electrek’s Take

Lamborghini’s CEO is blaming a lack of “emotional connect” for canceling the Lanzador EV, but how do its customers know how an all-electric sports car feels compared to a PHEV, if the company doesn’t even have one to offer?

For one, the instant torque and smooth acceleration are some of the best benefits of driving an electric vehicle. Even if they don’t have that “jerk” feeling or the sounds of an ICE engine, automakers like Hyundai have gotten creative, introducing features like N e-Shift and N Active Sound that replicate an ICE engine’s performance in performance EVs.

Electric supercars like the Rimac Nevera and BYD Yangwang U9 continue to set performance benchmarks, surpassing nearly every gas-powered vehicle.

What will electric supercars look like in another four years? Likely even faster, more efficient, and in style. Lamborghini will miss out in a sea of PHEVs.