- Lamborghini says it is not pursuing a purely electric sports car
- The Launcher concept is shelved for now
- Porsche is also considering a U-turn on electric sports cars
Stephan Winkelmann, CEO of legendary Italian supercar maker Lamborghini, told reporters that the company will abandon its plans to create an all-electric supercar due to weak demand from its customer base.
Revealed in 2023, the Lanzador concept was planned to spawn an all-electric production model that would go on sale in 2028. The exotic 2+2 ‘ultra-GT’ was supposed to feature two electric motors, one on each axle, which would combine to produce “more than a megawatt of power”, equivalent to around 1,350 hp.
However, Winkelmann told the Sunday Times that the “acceptance curve” for battery-powered cars among its customer base was approaching “zero”, hence the company’s plans to scrap the idea of a pure electric vehicle. He added that he sees electric supercars as an “expensive hobby,” with little promise of return on investment.
Instead, the Launcher will be replaced by a hybrid. This is because hybrid powertrains have proven to be a success story for the brand in recent years, with the Revuelto, Temerario and a plug-in version of the Urus selling well, despite their huge prices.
The decision to build an all-electric supercar will no doubt be a blow to high-performance electric vehicles in general, as the news comes on the heels of speculation that Porsche’s recently appointed CEO Michael Leiters is considering scrapping the purely electric 718 line of Boxster and Cayman sports cars.
The pair of cars have been in production for years, and many electrification fans believe they could be among the first battery-powered sports cars to offer the coveted combination of performance, handling, balance and light weight that only Porsche can offer.
Despite the rumors surrounding Porsche, Audi CEO Gernot Döllner told employees in an internal letter (via Autocar) that it would press ahead with its Concept C electric sports car, adding that the partnership “builds on a good collaboration between the Porsche team and the Audi team.”
Analysis: The door is open to startups
With the news that some of the biggest names in automotive are giving up on electric supercars, Audi and Ferrari, with the upcoming Apple-designed Luce, continue to fly the flag for technology.
In addition to this, it also opens the door for more niche names to come to the surface and potentially become household names.
First up, there’s Longbow, a British startup founded by engineers who have worked with Tesla, Polestar, Lucid, BYD, and more. Its roofless Speedster weighs just 895 kg and uses a single motor that sends 322 hp to the rear wheels.
Thanks to the featherweight approach, it can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in 3.5 seconds and offer around 275 miles of range on a single charge. It will also go on sale for £84,995 (around $115,000 / AU$163,000), while a cheaper, heavier Roadster (see above) will cost £64,995 (around $88,000 / AU$124,000).
Watt Electric is another British company working on a lightweight electric platform that could potentially underpin a future affordable electric sports car. The PACES (Passenger And Commercial EV Skateboard) modular architecture has already generated a similar Porsche 356 in its Coupé concept (above).
The company also recently announced that it will partner with Donut Lab to integrate its powerful and lightweight in-wheel motors into the EV platform in the near future.
Finally, while not exactly startups, niche hypercar brands also continue to take electric propulsion to the next level, with companies like Pininfarina introducing the world to the brutally fast Battista and Rimac Automobilli setting and breaking world records with the Nevera and Nevera R.
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