- Lamborghini says it isn’t pursuing a pure electric sports car
- The Lanzador concept is parked for now
- Porsche is also considering a U-turn on electric sports cars
Stephan Winkelmann, the chief executive of legendary Italian supercar manufacturer Lamborghini, has told reporters that the company is set to abandon its plans for an all-electric supercar due to weak demand from its customer base.
Revealed in 2023, the Lanzador concept was scheduled to spawn an all-electric production model that was set to go on sale in 2028. The exotic 2+2 ‘ultra-GT’ was supposed to feature two e-motors, one on each axle, which combined to produce “over a megawatt of power”, which is around 1,350bhp.
However, Winkelmann told the Sunday Times that the “acceptance curve” for battery-powered cars among its customer base was getting “close to zero”, hence the company’s plans to scrap the idea of a pure EV. He added that he sees supercar EVs as an “expensive hobby”, with little promise of a return on investment.
Instead, the Lanzador is set to be replaced by a hybrid. That’s because hybrid powertrains have proven a success story for the brand in recent years, with the Revuelto, Temerario and a plug-in version of the Urus all selling well, despite their massive price tags.
The decision to can an all-electric supercar will undoubtedly be a blow to high performance EVs in general, as the news comes hot on the heels of speculation that Porsche’s recently-appointed CEO, Michael Leiters, is considering scrapping the pure-electric 718 line of Boxster and Cayman sports cars.
The pair of cars have been in the making for years, with many fans of electrification believing they could be among the first battery-powered sports cars to offer the coveted mix of performance, handling, balance and lightweight that only Porsche can deliver.
Despite the rumors surrounding Porsche, Audi’s CEO, Gernot Döllner, told employees in an internal letter (via Autocar) that it would plough on with its Concept C electric sports car, adding that that the partnership is “proceeding in good collaboration between Team Porsche and Team Audi.”
Analysis: The door is open for start-ups
With news that some of the biggest names in automotive are giving up on electric supercars, it leaves Audi and Ferrari, with the upcoming, Apple-designed Luce, to continue flying the flag for the technology.
On top of this, it also opens the door more niche names to rise to the surface and potentially become household names.
Firstly, there’s Longbow, a British start-up founded by engineers that have worked with Tesla, Polestar, Lucid, BYD and more. Its roof-less Speedster weighs just 895kg and uses a single motor that sends 322bhp to the rear wheels.
Thanks to the featherweight approach, it can manage the 0-62mph dash in 3.5 seconds and deliver around 275 miles of range on a single charge. It’s also due to go on sale for £84,995 (around $115,000 / AU$163,000), while a cheaper and heavier Roadster (see above) is slated to cost £64,995 (around $88,000 / AU$124,000).
Watt Electric is another British company that’s working on a lightweight electric platform that could potentially underpin future affordable EV sports car. The PACES (Passenger And Commercial EV Skateboard) modular architecture has already spawned a Porsche 356 look-a-like in its Coupe concept (above).
The company also recently announced that it is partnering with Donut Lab to integrate its powerful and lightweight in-wheel motors into the EV platform in the near future.
Lastly, although not exactly start-ups, niche hypercar brands are also continuing to push electric propulsion to the next level, with companies like Pininfarina introducing the brutally quick Battista to the world and Rimac Automobilli setting and breaking world records with the Nevera and Nevera R.
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