Lamborghini buyers race to own carmaker’s first plugged model

Lamborghini drivers are just as keen on owning a sports car with a plug as they are for a combustion-only vehicle. 

The 1,015-horsepower Revuelto has sold out until the end of 2025, CEO Stephan Winkelmann said in an interview, as the Volkswagen unit embarks on replacing conventional combustion engines. 

The V-12 coupe, able to drive six miles on battery power, will replace the track-focused Aventador with deliveries starting at the end of this year. As with Lamborghini’s earlier $3 million-plus Sián, the hybrid technology is about maximizing power and performance rather than driving far without using gasoline. 

By the end of 2025, Lamborghini will only sell cars with hybrid powertrains, halving CO2 emissions compared with the current lineup. Sports-car makers like Ferrari are treading carefully on how they tackle the EV transition after building their lineups around top-level combustion-engine technology.

It’ll take Lamborghini until 2028 to introduce its first fully electric model, while Ferrari is targeting 2025, years later than more conventional automakers. Germany successfully challenged the European Union’s planned combustion-engine ban from 2035 and pushed to allow synthetic fuels, in a bid to protect the likes of Porsche and Lamborghini.

While the Revuelto is in demand, orders for the last conventionally powered models are strong, Winkelmann said. The carmaker is sold out for two years across its entire lineup. 

In the first six months of 2023, sales rose 5 percent to 5,341 cars. For the full year, the sports-car maker is targeting returns of at least 25 percent, following a record 36 percent during the first three months of the year. 

After earmarking €1.8 billion ($2 billion) for the shift to plug-in hybrids, Lamborghini may hike investments with the introduction of its first battery-only model, Winkelmann said. The car will be a four seater suitable for everyday use, he added.