The Breakdown The Lanzador EV is officially dead, but a plug-in hybrid is coming. Lamborghini is also ruling out an electric Urus. The company's boss claims demand for EVs is 'close to zero.' It’s been nearly three years since Lamborghini did the unthinkable and took the wraps off an electric car. Although it was only a concept, the Lanzador was presented as a window into Sant’Agata Bolognese’s EV future, with plans to launch a production version in 2028. However, it didn’t take long for the exotic Italian marque to realize that high-end customers would be reluctant to buy a car without a combustion engine. In late 2024, the model’s launch was pushed back by a full year to 2029. Now, the all-electric Lanzador has been canceled. Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann admitted in an interview with The Sunday Times (subscription required) that the firm’s target audience has little desire to make the switch to EVs, saying interest in a raging bull without a V8 or a V12 is “close to zero.” The head honcho admits Lamborghini needed more than a year to decide whether the Lanzador should reach the assembly line. After extensive internal debates and meetings with customers and dealers, the company chose to pull the plug at the end of 2025. The 61-year-old German executive sees EVs as an “expensive hobby,” requiring a significant financial outlay with little return. '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.' But the Lanzador isn’t entirely dead. The Audi-owned brand intends to launch a plug-in hybrid version with a gas engine by the end of the decade. Similarly, the next-generation Urus won’t go fully electric either, with Winkelmann claiming that Lamborghini “couldn’t risk [a Urus EV]” for fear it wouldn’t sell. Instead, the new Urus, arriving around the same time as the Lanzador, will retain a plug-in hybrid setup. Although the EU is pressuring automakers to pursue electric vehicles and decarbonize their lineups, Lamborghini is holding tightly to combustion engines. Winkelmann argues that EVs fail to deliver the “emotional connection” of a gas-powered car. Going the plug-in hybrid route is viewed as the best compromise, satisfying both regulators and buyers. Lamborghini Lanzador EV Concept Motor1's Take: Lamborghini would probably want to sell pure ICE vehicles if it could, but that’s no longer feasible. With stricter emissions regulations looming, electrification is unavoidable. By 2035, automakers operating in the European Union must cut CO2 emissions by 90 percent compared to 2021 levels. Even before that, an intermediate target arrives in 2030, when fleet emissions must fall by at least 55 percent relative to 2021. Not everyone agrees with Lamborghini's view on EVs. Archival Ferrari is just months away from introducing the Luce, its first Prancing Horse without a combustion engine, which premieres on May 25. Bentley is also set to unveil its inaugural EV this year, leaving only a handful of carmakers without an electric model in their portfolios. Mind you, Lamborghini isn’t completely closing the door on EVs, but for now, it doesn’t view such a move as a sound financial investment. If it can meet emissions regulations with plug-in hybrids, why rush headlong into full electrification? We want your opinion! What would you like to see on Motor1.com? Take our 3 minute survey. - The Motor1.com Team
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