Lamborghini taps sibling brands to electrify

Lamborghini is moving to embrace the synergies available to it as a part of the Volkswagen Group and is now organized in the automaker's sport grouping, where it will be able to take advantage of some of the electrification groundwork done by sibling brands Audi and Porsche.

The supercar brand won't have a full electric vehicle until sometime in the second half of this decade, Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann told journalists this year when the brand laid out its Direzione Cor Tauri plan.

Until then, Lamborghini will continue to hybridize its lineup — the last combustion-only Lamborghini is scheduled to be built in 2024 — and build a series of one-off derivatives to keep customers happy.

Huracan: The reengineered Huracan is expected to arrive in 2024, according to sources. Like the rest of the lineup, its V-10 engine will undergo hybridization as part of that reengineering process.

Aventador: Its eventual successor will be a plug-in hybrid model, with the hybrid augmenting its V-12 engine, and is expected to arrive in 2023. It is unclear whether the brand will keep the Aventador name — its history would suggest a new nameplate — but given the challenges of the electrification push, Lamborghini could buck tradition.

2+2 GT: Lamborghini is working on a new EV in the form of a 2+2 GT, in cooperation with Porsche and Audi. The company's target is for the model to reach the market between 2025 and 2027, and it will likely take advantage of VW Group's new SSP architecture.

Countach: The brand revealed in August its plan to build 112 Countach LPI 800-4 supercars. The resurrected nameplate, now sold out, will reach customers in the first half of 2022, equipped with a naturally aspirated rear-mounted 6.5-liter V-12 engine that, combined with the brand's 34-hp hybrid supercapacitor technology, produces a total of about 825 hp. Equipped with standard all-wheel drive, the Countach LPI 800-4 is capable of accelerating from 0 to 62 mph in 2.8 seconds, reaching 125 mph in about 8.6 seconds and it has a top speed of more than 220 mph. The Countach LPI 800-4, with a body built entirely of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic, rides on 20-inch front wheels and 21-inch rear wheels, and it features four-wheel steering that gives it a curb-to-curb turning radius of just under 38 feet. There are no plans for further Countach production once the run is concluded.

Sian FKP 37/Sian: The limited-run Sian and its innovative supercapacitor hybrid system won't be extended, and the fast-charging hybrid system won't make it to other models as they undergo electrification because the system discharges too quickly. Once deliveries are concluded, the nameplate is expected to go away.

Essenza SCV12: Deliveries continue for the 40-vehicle limited-run Essenza SCV12, a racetrack-only model developed with Lamborghini Squadra Corse, the Italian exotic's racing division. It has the brand's most powerful naturally aspirated V-12 ever, a carbon-fiber chassis, a sequential six-speed transmission and racing slick tires. The Essenza SCV12 will end once the run is complete.

Urus: Lamborghini's volume model will undergo a reengineering to accommodate a new plug-in hybrid powertrain in 2023, which is expected to be a variation of the hybrid V-8 powertrain from the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid.