Five years after the introduction of the Urus SUV, Lamborghini is once again entering a new segment with an electric four-seat GT called the Lanzador.
Shown as a concept at Monterey Car Week in California, and five years out from its scheduled launch, the dramatic Lanzador EV is a two-row supercar with a similar footprint to that of the Porsche Taycan, but it sits higher off the ground in a bid for enhanced “versatility”.
- Expected range of around 480km
- Second production EV will be the 2nd-gen Urus
Lamborghini Lanzador EV concept: brand positioning
The model has been conceived as a bridge between the Urus and the company’s line-up of traditional mid-engined supercars. It is said to be a “concrete vision” of Lamborghini’s next new model line, which aims to stay true to the company’s DNA by offering what the firm calls “best-in-class sportiveness and fun-to-drive character”.
Asked why Lamborghini is showing the new model half a decade before the production car is due to arrive in showrooms, CEO Stephan Winkelmann said: “If we enter a new segment – not jeopardising what you have and not cannibalising the line-up – it’s a good exercise to prepare the market, to let them think about what is coming in the future.”
He added that the next five years will provide a useful buffer zone in which Lamborghini can seek opinions and develop new approaches to carving out a distinctive character for its EVs.
Lamborghini Lanzador EV concept powertrain, range and battery
Lamborghini remains tight-lipped on the precise technical makeup of the Lanzador and has only loosely hinted at its performance potential. Pressed for a range figure, Winkelmann said: “It’s a bit too early now to fix a number, but for sure 300 miles (480km), I think, is around what we need to have when we come to 2028.”
More important, he suggested, will be the dynamic character of the production-spec Lanzador, which will need to be an obvious differentiator compared with other electric sports cars.
Lamborghini Lanzador EV concept design and interior
The Lanzador stays true to Lamborghini’s tradition of being styled as a ‘spaceship’ for the road. While it’s raised higher off the ground than a Huracan or Aventador, the Lanzador is only around 1,500mm tall. That makes the EV roughly as tall as a Volkswagen Golf, although its driver – Lamborghini refers to them as a ‘pilot’ – sits low, “as if in a jet”.
The spaceship influence extends to the cockpit, which is divided down the middle by a centre console hosting a ‘pilot’s unit’ that includes the infotainment and climate controls, while a pair of digital displays – one for the driver and one for the passenger – retract into the dashboard when not required.
The cabin is upholstered “almost entirely” with sustainable materials sourced from within Italy. Merino wool is used for the dash, seats and door cards, the coloured stitching is made from a blend of recycled nylon and plastic, the foam in the seat bases is 3D-printed from recycled fibres and even the convincing carbon-fibre-look panels used throughout the cabin comprise a mix of natural fibres and carbon strands.
Lamborghini Lanzador EV concept sound and 'emotion'
Winkelmann said that the concept of “emotion” has been at the heart of these discussions. “There is the emotion of the sound and the emotion of the performance. So there are two types of performance: one is the pure numbers – acceleration, top speed, lap time – and then there is the emotional side. And the emotional side for Lamborghini is always huge,” he said.
Talking about the sound the Lanzador emits under acceleration, Winkelmann said: “We are studying what we can do. There are three ways: not to do anything, and my feeling is that we are not going to do that or a fake sound, or amplification of the sound that exists.”
Lamborghini's future EV plans
As of now, every Lamborghini sold will be electrified in some way. The V10 Huracan and V8 Urus are both sold out until the end of their production runs, and each will be replaced by plug-in hybrids next year. The Aventador-replacing Revuelto supercar, meanwhile, is spoken for through to 2026.
Lamborghini has already confirmed that its second production EV will be the second-generation Urus, due around a year after the Lanzador. Beyond that, the firm has yet to reveal any concrete plans to fully electrify its supercar line-up.
Winkelmann said synthetic fuels – of the sort being developed by sibling brand Porsche – present “an opportunity” to decarbonise the use of these cars while sustaining their combustion engines. However, he added: “We have to wait and see. Luckily, we don’t have to decide now, because we have hybrid models starting now, so we have a lifecycle in front of us. This is something we have to look into in three or four years.”