Lamborghini's Lanzador U-turn isn't a retreat: it's reading the room

Can you sell a V12-shaped dream to someone who wants silence? Lamborghini decided it couldn't, and the Lanzador, the four-seat grand tourer once meant to be its first fully electric car, is now a plug-in hybrid. The customers, according to the boss, are delighted.

Here is the short version. The Lanzador was shown as a concept in 2023, with a dual-motor electric setup claimed at 1,341 hp. According to Car and Driver, CEO Stephan Winkelmann told The Sunday Times that the "acceptance curve" for EVs among Lamborghini's target market is "close to zero." Months later, at Monterey Car Week, he said the change "was very well accepted by the customer. They're very happy about that." The car is still scheduled for 2028, though the powertrain hasn't been revealed.

The customer voted, and it wasn't close

Winkelmann's wording is the interesting part. He called a full-EV push, in this segment, "an expensive hobby," and said it would be financially irresponsible toward shareholders and employees. That is not a brand in an ideological crusade against batteries. It is a manufacturer reading its own order book.

We think that's the right read. A Lamborghini is not bought for efficiency or a commute. It is bought for a feeling, and Winkelmann says as much: customers value the "emotional experience," including the sound of an internal-combustion engine. You can argue about whether that's rational. You can't argue that it isn't the product.

It also helps that the evidence from the showroom isn't gloomy. Autoweek reports a record 10,747 cars delivered worldwide in 2025, which the company credits to its hybridization strategy. Every model now has a hybrid option. In our view, the PHEV pivot wasn't a rescue. It was doubling down on something already working.

Premature, not wrong forever

Does this prove EVs are doomed in luxury? No, and we'd resist that headline. Winkelmann's point, as reported by Yahoo Autos citing Motorbiscuit, is that the acceptance curve for Lamborghini's type of customer "is not increasing." That is a statement about a tiny, emotional, very wealthy slice of the market, not about family crossovers or luxury commuters, where Car and Driver notes the picture for EVs can look quite different.

Our view: the Lanzador EV was early, not absurd. Launching a first-ever electric Lamborghini as a four-seat GT meant asking buyers to give up the one thing the badge sells while the technology can't yet replace it. A plug-in hybrid lets the company keep the drama and add electric torque. Winkelmann's own pitch is "the best of both worlds," combining the low-rev boost of batteries with the emotion of a combustion engine. That's marketing, sure, but we think it's also a fair description of why hybrids make sense here.

There's a competitive angle too. Winkelmann's comments, as reported, came shortly after Ferrari launched the Luce EV, which drew significant backlash. Morningstar's Michael Field said many fans are disappointed that Ferrari is embracing the EV concept, believing it dilutes a brand built on combustion power. Lamborghini, at least for now, gets to look like the one that listened. We'd be careful about crowning a winner, since we don't have sales data for the Luce, but the contrast in reputations is hard to miss.

What to watch: can the hybrid keep the drama?

The risk has moved. The question is no longer whether buyers want an EV but whether a PHEV can fit into a four-seat coupe without losing the character. The Supercar Blog notes that a Revuelto- or Temerario-style system might need significant packaging changes, while an Urus SE-derived twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 is another possibility. Speculation, to be clear: Lamborghini hasn't said. That same outlet suggests the car could comfortably exceed 800 hp, which would be a reasonable outcome, but it's a guess.

Price matters as well. Autoweek lists the Revuelto from about $609,000 and the Temerario from upward of $390,000. Wherever the Lanzador lands, we expect buyers to pay for sound and fury, not for an electric experiment.

Verdict

Lamborghini was right to drop the electric Lanzador. Not because EVs failed, but because this customer, this badge and this moment didn't line up. The lesson for the industry is unglamorous: in the very top tier, you sell emotion first and powertrain second. Whoever ignores that risks funding what Winkelmann called an expensive hobby. If you're a Lamborghini fan, relax: the Lanzador will keep an engine. If you're a rival planning a silent flagship, we'd look hard at your own acceptance curve.