In what amounts to a homage to the internal-combustion engine, Lamborghini’s CEO sets out the automaker’s path to full electrification within the next decade.
During a short and to-the-point web presentation dubbed Direzione Cor Tauri, president and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini, Stephan Winkelmann, outlines a roadmap to decarbonization of future models and of the Sant’Agata Bolognese site based on a holistic approach to its environmental sustainability strategy.
That said, he stressed the ongoing importance of the ICE powertrain development so beloved by the brand’s fans and car-buying enthusiasts.
Winkelmann says the commitment to an electric future will be met with the same enthusiasm the company has applied to its ICEs, saying, “We did not want to be the first company making electric cars, but we will be the best.”
In reference to the logo chosen by company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini in 1963, Cor Tauri is the brightest star in the Taurus constellation and represents Lamborghini’s move toward electrification that is faithful to the heart and soul of the “bull” brand.
Winkelmann says Lamborghini’s roadmap for the coming decade has three main steps:
- Building on its success with ICE and breaking into new market sectors, with the Urus Super SUV recognized as the cornerstone of today’s success. The recently unveiled Sián sports hybrid has kicked off the brand’s electrification journey. Yet, on top of this, two new cars in the V12 model lineup will be announced in 2021.
- The company expects to offer hybrid electrification across its entire range by the end of 2024. Owing to the increase in battery weight with hybrid powertrains, the increased application of lightweight carbon fiber materials is expected to be crucial to maintain performance and driver engagement. The company’s internal target for this phase is to reduce product CO2 emissions 50% by the beginning of 2025. More than €1.5 billion ($1.8 billion) is allocated to this project over four years and is Lamborghini’s biggest investment in its history.
- The first fully electric Lamborghini model is scheduled to hit the roads during the second half of the decade as the brand’s fourth model. It pledges that technological innovation in this phase will be oriented toward remarkable performance and positioning the new vehicle at the top of its segment.
On the manufacturing side, the automaker promises a sustainability strategy that spans all of its activities from product to the Sant’Agata Bolognese site and from production lines to offices. The 1.72-million-sq.-ft. (160,000-sq.-m) area achieved CO2-neutral certification in 2015, which was maintained even after the production site was doubled in size afterward.
Winkelmann concludes: “Lamborghini has always been synonymous with preeminent technological expertise in building engines boasting extraordinary performance. This commitment will continue as an absolute priority of our innovation trajectory.”
Sian hybrid Lamborghini’s first electrified product.
