Lamborghini is continuing to work on a battery-electric model for debut after 2030, and this will see the Italian marque’s upcoming fourth model, the Lanzador be equipped with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, reported Autocar. Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann has told the publication that his widely-quoted line that investment into EVs was “an expensive hobby” was taken out of context, and explained that the supercar brand has not completely abandoned its EV plans. “I didn’t say it this way. I just want to underline this,” Winkelmann said. Instead of entirely halting EV development, Lamborghini has pushed its target launch date for its first EV model past the end of this decade while it continues exploring ways to make it appealing to its traditional customers, in light of slowing demand for luxury and sport EVs, the report wrote. Timeline for its first EV aside, Lamborghini continues to aim for the production version of the Lanzador to arrive in showrooms by the end of the decade, albeit in plug-in hybrid form rather than as a battery-electric vehicle as originally planned. The eventual, showroom-ready version of the Lanzador “will be a bit different in bodystyle” compared to the concept, though it will fundamentally remain a two-door 2+2 form. This will be the fourth model line positioned below the Urus, and the upcoming PHEV is now expected to be more closely related to the Urus, and use a derivative of that model’s turbocharged V8 petrol PHEV powertrain. The first EV then emerges after that. “The timeframe is, for sure, after 2030. We will follow very closely the rate of acceptance of electric cars in the future for our types of customers. We are continuing to work on all what matters to be ready to do an electric car, but here we are speaking about something which is emotional and not going to be explained in a rational way,” Winkelmann said. Lamborghini continues to study how to give its EVs emotional appeal. File images – Lamborghini Revuelto in Malaysia “We discovered that the rejection rate of full-electric cars is increasing, and this is something which is going to affect the sales of a full-electric car from Lamborghini. You don’t buy a Lamborghini because you want to move from A to B on a daily basis. You buy a Lamborghini because it’s something which is a childhood dream, or maybe because it’s the fulfilment of a life full of more work, and you want to have something which is exceeding your expectations,” he continued. Lamborghini will use the extended development timeframe to study how its competitors “make electric cars emotional,” said Winkelmann. A crucial part of this emotional appeal is the vehicle’s soundtrack, said the CEO. “One of the biggest topics of ‘rejection’ of full-electric cars is the missing sound. The sound of the engine is one of the major elements of why people buy these cars,” he said. “You can do a lot of things. You can also put a record player in the car and fake the combustion engine.The point is if this is what you want in a car like a Lamborghini, where reality is what you want. You don’t want something which is not real. At least, that is my perception,” Winkelmann said. GALLERY: Lamborghini Lanzador concept Compare prices between different insurer providers to save the most on your car insurance renewal compared to other competing services. Many payment method supported and you can pay with instalment using Atome, Grab PayLater or Shopee SPayLater. Use the promo code 'PAULTAN' when you checkout for 10% discount!