Lamborghini Cancels Pure Electric Car because Consumer Interest is Almost Zero

The electric car Lamborghini Lanzador concept. (Photo: Lamborghini)

JAKARTA - Almost three years after Lamborghini surprised by introducing an electric car concept, its strategic direction has now changed. In fact, the Lanzador concept was originally positioned as a picture of the future of electric vehicles.

The manufacturer from Sant'Agata Bolognese also has a production version target to launch in 2028. However, the premium market response turned out to be inconsistent with initial expectations.

Entering the end of 2024, the launch schedule was delayed by one year to 2029. Now, a more decisive decision has been made to cancel the pure electric Lanzador project.

Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann told The Sunday Times that their customer base showed a strong reluctance to supercars without internal combustion engines. He said interest in mobile without V8 or V12 engines was close to zero.

Winkelmann explained that the company took more than a year to weigh the continuation of the project. Long internal discussions, including input from customers and dealers, eventually led to the decision to stop development by the end of 2025.

"Investing heavily in the development of fully electric vehicles when the market and customer base are not ready will be an expensive hobby," he said, as reported by Motor1, Monday, February 23.

However, the Lanzador name has not been completely abandoned. The brand under the Audi umbrella is still preparing a plug-in hybrid option with a gasoline engine by the end of the decade.

A similar approach was also applied to the latest generation of the Urus SUV, which is confirmed not to be a pure electric vehicle. According to Winkelmann, Lamborghini cannot risk presenting the Urus EV due to concerns about low demand, so the plug-in hybrid configuration remains maintained.

Amid the European Union's push for manufacturers to switch to electrification and reduce carbon emissions, Lamborghini has chosen a different path. Winkelmann argues that electric cars are not yet able to provide "emotional bonds" like gasoline-powered vehicles.

Therefore, the plug-in hybrid strategy is considered the most reasonable meeting point. Where, PHEV bridges the demands of regulators as well as the loyal tastes of buyers.