If you’re worried that the glorious sound of a Lamborghini V12 engine may be silenced by electric motors you can relax.
Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann has declared the company’s intention to stick with the internal combustion engine for as long as it can, which is hopes is forever if synthetic fuels can become commerically viable. Despite some brands, notabley Rimac (which also falls under Volkswagen Group ownership, like Lamborghini) and Chinese newcomer, such as the Yangwang U9, Winkelmann is adamant that electric supercars simply don’t have appeal to supercar buyers.
“ No, we always said that the pure electric supercar are not here to be successful,” Winkelmann told Australia media on a recent visit. “Some already admitted it, and they’re putting them out of the market, they’re still trying to sell some, but it’s not going to fly because of a lot of issues.
“It’s the brand, it’s the residual value, it’s the missing sound, a lot of things. But at the end of the day, what you want is something which is real.”
However, this doesn’t mean Lamborghini won’t build an electric vehicle, in part to futureproof the brand but also to appeal to new buyers, but it won’t be a pure supercar. Instead, it’s expected to be a 2+2 GT-style model, expanding the brand’s line-up beyond the current Revuelto, Temerario and Urus trio.
The slowing demand for EVs has allowed Lamborghini to delay the launch of this new, fourth model, and given Winklemann and his team more time to evaltuate the best way to make a fast yet emotionally appealing vehicle. That includes considering elements such as artifcial ‘engine’ noise and even a digital transmission.
Winkelmann isn’t convinced on fake sound, but believes there is an opportunity to generate a more authetic noise to create a sense of speed an emotion.
“For sure, on the sound level, we have to make a clear decision. I am personally against a fake internal combustion engine sound,” he said. “But I don’t know today what it is going to be. We heard a lot of things… So amplifying what is there as a sound but it has to be done in the right way. This is pretty complex.”
As for a faux transmission, the Lamborghini boss was more open-minded.
“We are evaluating a lot of things, but this could be an opportunity to make a car very emotional now. Because at the same time it’s recuperating energy and also slowing down, so this is like shifting down. You can explain it also in a different way. And this is the positive thing,” he said.
This new model was originally intended to launch in 2026 but has now been pushed to a 2027 arrival. And, as we’ve previously written, Lamborghini has dropped plans to make the next-generation Urus electric and will instead stick with plug-in hybrid technology.
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