19:56 14-07-2026

Lamborghini Lanzador: no longer an EV, now an extreme hybrid GT

Lamborghini's fourth model, the Lanzador, will arrive as a plug-in hybrid Gran Turismo rather than the electric car shown in 2023.

Lamborghini has made a sharp U-turn on its electric plans. The Lanzador, shown back in 2023 as the brand’s future first series-production EV, is no longer set to be a fully electric car. Instead, the company is preparing its fourth model as an extreme Gran Turismo with a plug-in hybrid powertrain.

At the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Urus product line director Stefano Cossalter put it plainly: “Last year we decided that the Lanzador would not be electric.” Asked about a different production EV, he was even blunter: “We are not working on an electric model.” Lamborghini isn’t halting research into batteries, electric motors, cell chemistry and software, but its next major launches will stay hybrid.

The new model is still meant to sit between the low-slung supercars and the Urus. It won’t be a classic sedan or another crossover, but an “evolution of the GT” — a more practical Lamborghini with four seats, a boot and, likely, a raised ride height. The Lanzador concept already hinted at this formula: more everyday usability than the Revuelto or Temerario, without turning into a shrunken Urus.

The main reason for dropping the full-EV plan isn’t the technology itself, but emotion. Cossalter admitted that electric motors deliver precise traction control, especially wheel by wheel, but current electric sports cars, in Lamborghini’s view, run out of drama too quickly: the initial punch is there, but the engagement fades. The company has also studied artificial sound and simulated gearshifts, but still considers those solutions unconvincing at its level.

There’s a commercial argument too: Lamborghini customers today, according to Cossalter, “don’t really want an EV.” That’s a sensitive point for the brand. A Lamborghini buyer pays not just for speed, but for sound, vibration, drama, throttle response and a sense of mechanical excess. If an electric car can’t deliver that package, even a spectacular 0-60 time stops being enough of a justification.

The production Lanzador’s powertrain hasn’t been confirmed yet. The most logical option is a PHEV setup close in philosophy to the brand’s current lineup. The Urus SE already runs a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 paired with an electric motor for 789 hp and 949 Nm. In theory, a similar architecture could underpin the new GT, though Lamborghini will need to make the car distinctive enough that it doesn’t read as a dressed-up Porsche, Bentley or Audi.

The Lanzador, it seems, will keep the idea of a practical Lamborghini alive — just not as the brand’s first EV. Instead of an electric manifesto, it’s turning into a hybrid answer to an old question: can a big GT feel as emotional as a supercar.