As unbelievable as it may sound, Lamborghini is heading for the electrified era. The Italian car maker announced it will become an electric car manufacturer in the future and some changes will even take place starting next year. According to a report from Automotive News Europe, the CEO of the company recently stated that the last pure internal combustion engine (ICE) from Lamborghini will be sold this year.
That means, starting from 2023, all of the cars made in Sant’Agata Bolognese will have some form of electrification on board. Next year, the Volkswagen Group brand will debut its first production plug-in vehicle, with the goal of electrifying the entire lineup by 2024. Following record deliveries in 2021, Lamborghini has practically sold out its full production run for 2022, according to CEO Stephan Winkelmann.
Lamborghini said it shipped 8,405 automobiles worldwide last year, up 13% from the previous year. Sales in Europe, the company’s largest market, increased by 12%. “It will be the last time that we only offer combustion engines,” Winkelmann said in an interview. The automaker has seen a “very good start” to 2022, he said.
Lamborghini wants to introduce four new models in 2022 as part of its hybridization strategy, according to Winkelmann. Lamborghini has set aside a record 1.5 billion euros ($1.7 billion) for the transition to plug-in hybrids, with a full-electric model planned for the second half of the decade.
While other supercar brands, such as Ferrari and Aston Martin, face a particularly difficult problem in maintaining brand identity during the pricey transition to electrification, Lamborghini’s future plans are backed up by Volkswagen’s record spending on new technologies. According to Winkelmann, Lamborghini is still working on a final design for its first electric car and is leaning toward a four-door variant that would be suitable for daily use.
