It’s not hard to name a car company that’s ended production or plans for a new fully electric model. The U.S. has put these vehicles at a significant price disadvantage compared to ones with internal combustion engines, and the market is a little more price conscious. But an end to production is a little more dramatic when it’s a model that’s been previewed for roughly three years and was still at least three years away.
Lamborghini President and CEO Stephan Winkelmann confirmed to The Times over the weekend that the brand’s first electric-only model is officially not happening. It’s not that the niche Italian brand, normally the purveyor of exotic high-performance cars—and a high-performance SUV—is confirming it will swear off EVs for good. Winkelmann just thinks they’re not right for Lamborghini’s clientele and is killing the Lanzador project until there’s a better format. Development was apparently burdening the brand financially, and dealers didn’t want it.
According to Winkelmann, a Lamborghini is something people buy for emotional reasons. “EVs, in their current form, struggle to deliver this specific emotional connection,” he said to The Times.
Judging from how similar brands have dealt with EVs, it seems like he has a point. Porsche’s EV lineup consists of SUVs and the Taycan sedan wagon, but the company has been struggling with an all-electric replacement for the small 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman sports cars. This business challenge reached the point where the company pledged to reintroduce gas-powered versions of the cars and, now, is reportedly considering killing off the troubled project altogether.
Porsche and Lamborghini, as well as Bentley, are all part of the giant Volkswagen Group that’s had plenty of problems with the EV strategy it launched at the beginning of this decade around the world. The long-awaited ID Buzz Microbus revival had a long gestation period and then arrived with a high price and no federal incentives in the U.S. The debacle has put the entire Group in a perilous financial position.
Lamborghini will still have a production version of the Lanzador, though, but it will arrive in the form of a plug-in hybrid. Winkelmann says these “offer the best of both worlds,” and claims the company already sells PHEVs with success. PHEVs, however, are still heavy and add complexity to vehicles since they have to have a gasoline powertrain and an all-electric one. And there’s great debate as to whether or not people will actually plug them in.
The move comes as Ferrari presses forward with its all-electric Luce that will be revealed in May, equipped with a Jony Ive-designed interior.
Updated at 9:00 p.m. ET: This article now reflects that Bugatti is not part of Volkswagen Group.
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