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Will electric cars be the end of Lamborghini? Italian supercar boss reveals new hope that will keep petrol power alive

Lamborghinis such as the Huracan Tecnica with a V10 combustion engine will face the axe as the company goes green with EVs.

Lamborghini has begun to farewell its current fire-breathing, ear-splitting engines in favour of electric powertrains. But will people want a Lamborghini without all the sound and fury a combustion engine brings? Could this be the greatest threat to Lamborghini’s existence? Lamborghini’s global boss Stephan Winkelmann tells CarsGuide he has a plan but he’s not sure if it will work…

“I see it [electric vehicles] as the biggest change, but I don’t see it as the biggest threat,” Mr Winkelmann told CarsGuide at the launch of the new Huracan Tecnica

“I think that we are well prepared for the things that are coming. Our first step is to be all hybridised in the next couple of years, and we will start with the full electric cars from the end of this decade.”

Those steps are taking place as you read this with Lamborghini discontinuing its V12 model - the Aventador this year. 

In what signals a further shift away from Lamborghini tradition is that its first fully electric car, which is slated to arrive in 2028, is tipped to be an SUV.

This transition from combustion engines to hybrids and then to electric vehicles is one the brand has accepted and is committed to following.

“This is already a path that we have digested,” Mr Winkelmann said. “We know where we want to go, and this is due to the younger generation but also due to a new mind set - and this will go for electrification.”  

As much as Mr Winkelmann says the brand is fully on-board with electric powertrains he also offered an alternative to EVs.

“When it comes to alternatives to battery electric vehicles, we only see one - but this is something that we’re not sure is going to work - synthetic fuels,” he said.      

Synthetic fuel is burnt in combustion engines in a similar way to fossil fuel but without the high carbon emissions. 

Mr Winkelmann is not the first to float the idea of keeping combustion engines but using synthetic fuels. Porsche has invested a reported $100 million into the development of synthetic fuels which combine hydrogen from water and carbon from the air and then burning it in a liquid form. 

Synthetic fuel combustion engines would effectively sound and perform much the same as petrol combustion engines, but Mr Winkelmann admits there are challenges.

Lamborghini's first all electric model is tipped to be an SUV. Lamborghini's first all electric model is tipped to be an SUV.

“Synthetic fuel as a total is carbon neutral, it has advantages but also has difficulties in terms of supply quantity and infrastructure. This is all something which has to be clarified by legislation and the industry if they want to go down that road,” Mr Winkelmann said.

“We don’t need to decide today, but I can only see full electric cars or synthetic fuel as an alternative. I don’t see other ways for us.”

The renaissance of combustion engines may be some way off, so in the meantime Mr Winkelman reaffirmed the company's focus on electric vehicles, but said the hardest part is keeping Lamborghinis special. 

“Even if we go full electric, we think that this is going to be successful because of the technology with each new generation stepping in,” Mr Winkelmann said.

“It’s something which in my opinion is feasible. We have to keep in mind that at Lamborghini we are not selling mobility, we are selling dreams. So, the most difficult part is to keep this dream alive. 

“On the other side we have a clear task which is coming from the legislators and from all of our ideas of sustainability for the future generations, so we have to take this very seriously by changing everything, but not to change anything.”

The Aventador was discontinued by Lamborghini in September this year, leaving the Huracan and the Urus SUV in the current range. 

The Tecnica is the newest variant in the Huracan range. Powered by a 5.2-litre V10 sending 470kW and 565Nm to the rear wheels the Huracan Tecnica lists for $440,900.