'Better late and measured': Lamborghini CEO confident in fully electric Lanzador

Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann said that the automaker's first fully electric car, the Lanzador, is on schedule for a 2028 release, and will prove that his brand and electrification are compatible.

Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini [AUTOMOBILI LAMBORGHINI]

With Lamborghini in the midst of hybridizing its lineup, its first fully electric vehicle, the Lanzador, will be released in 2028 as scheduled.

The Italian supercar brand's EV, while late to the market, will be different from competing electric vehicles, according to the chief of Lamborghini during an interview with a group of Korean reporters.

"When we speak about performance, it's not only about acceleration or performance numbers [...] acceleration is the easiest part for a battery-powered car," Automobili Lamborghini President and CEO Stephan Winkelmann said, comparing his company's vehicle to other performance-oriented electric vehicles including Tesla during a video call interview held with the local media.

"But the most important thing for Lamborghini is the angry behavior — the combination of braking, accelerating, getting in and out of a corner and bringing this emotion back to the driver — and it is not just about the numbers."

Lamborghini's upcoming fully electric gran turismo Lanzador, therefore, offers something special.

"[The Lanzador] is something we think is important to our lineup and it will be a proof that electric cars can be emotional and be fit for Lamborghini," he said, adding that the car will hit the market in 2028 as scheduled, despite the slowdown in EV demand.

The company was also not worried about being late to the EV party.

“It’s not important to be the first ones in the market; what’s important is that the market is ready on the other side when you get there and that you are the best in the segment [...] we have a clear strategy which we [will] stick to," Winkelmann said.

Lamborghini’s current philosophy, “Direzione Cor Tauri” — a motto that includes the Latin for "heart of the bull" — best explains the Italian supercar company’s vision, according to the president: keeping Lamborghini’s core identity while the carmaker makes a gradual transition to the electric era.

“Our first step was to hybridize our existing lineup, which began between last year and this year with our three lines: the Revuelto, the Urus and the Hurracan follow-up,” the president said.

The Revuelto, released in 2023, is a mid-engine plug-in hybrid (PHEV) supercar that maintains the company’s signature V12 engine but is paired with a small 3.8 kilowatt-hour battery. The Urus SE, unveiled in Korea on Tuesday, is the PHEV version of the company’s high-performance SUV and Lamborghini will also introduce another hybrid supercar, replacing the ongoing Hurracan, in the near future.

“We are very successful with our strategy because we are not overdoing it,” he said, adding that the hybrid powertrain is not “bridging technology” and compromise between a traditional internal combustion engine and an EV, but is a “winning solution” for them.

“The battery for sure is helping to reduce the CO2 emissions by having a [pure] electric range, but on the other hand it’s also for the performance because of closing the torque gap in acceleration [with the electric motor], and this is a benefit in terms of performance and driving emotions,” the president said.

The Urus SE features a 25.9 kilowatt-hour battery supplied by Samsung SDS, allowing the 2.5-ton (5,622-pound) vehicle to go full electric for 60 kilometers (37 miles) at up to 130 kilometers per hour (80 miles per hour).

Korea is Lamborghini’s No. 7 market in the world and the third-largest in Asia after China and Japan. The automaker partially attributes its popularity in Korea to its investment in the country, investment in the brand and investment in creating long-term partners.

Winkelmann explained that the company is done finding battery suppliers for the Revuelto and Urus SE as well as the Hurracan replacement, and it is too early to disclose which battery the upcoming Lanzador will use, adding that Lamborghini is continually looking for new partners both inside and outside Korea.

“I think Korean customers have good taste,” the president said.

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]