Electric Lamborghinis are coming, starting with the 1341bhp Lanzador

Lamborghini’s first EV will be a cross between a traditional coupe and an SUV, as previewed by the Lanzador concept is gearing up for its pure-electric future, and while the Revuelto and the forthcoming Huracán replacement will use hybrid powertrains to prolong the life of the combustion engine, the first Lamborghini EV isn’t far away. With that comes the biggest challenge the brand has faced to date: more than any other manufacturer, the identity of Lamborghini is intrinsically tied to the sound, feel and response of the spectacular engines it has given us over the decades. How on earth do you capture that with an electric powertrain? Is it even possible? The new Lanzador concept is here to answer some of those questions.

It may look like a peculiar mish-mash of Revuelto and Urus, but the Lanzador isn’t just the whim of Lamborghini’s design team. It previews a production model that will arrive in 2028 as the firm’s first electric car: a grand tourer with a jacked-up two-door bodystyle and a 2+2 cabin. Why begin with an electric GT and not an all-out supercar? Lamborghini’s chief technical officer, Rouven Mohr, admits that with current technology no electric supercar captures the essential emotion and excitement he’s looking for, and an EV powertrain feels better suited to a more relaxed, useable GT at present. That doesn’t mean electric supercars aren’t on the horizon, but Lamborghini is holding fire until battery and motor technology becomes lighter and more advanced.

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Performance figures for the Lanzador are thin on the ground, but we do know that it uses a dedicated EV platform with an electric motor mounted at each axle. The production car will draw heavily from the Volkswagen Group’s component toolbox – likely through the use of the SSP Sport platform that will underpin future Bentleys and Porsches – but Lamborghini stresses that the Lanzador’s performance and engineering parameters have been ingrained from the outset.

In the concept, the two motors are claimed to generate more than one megawatt of power (1341bhp), and this seems entirely plausible in the context of the SSP Sport platform, which is confirmed to offer 1700bhp+ in its most powerful configuration. But Lamborghini recognises the need to deliver more beyond the raw numbers, and aims to instil the Lanzador with a unique dynamic character to distinguish it from other electric GTs.

The show car acts as a rolling laboratory for some of these ideas, most of which revolve around a newly developed LDVI (Lamborghini Dynamic Vehicle Integration) system that tailors the car’s dynamic behaviour on the fly. Compared with the current generation of LDVI fitted to the Revuelto, the Lanzador contains more sensors and actuators to optimise chassis response, rear-wheel steering and torque distribution, plus a new front mounted radar to scan the road ahead and prime the car’s active air suspension to suit.

Key to the Lanzador’s handling characteristics is the calibration of the dual electric motor set-up, which uses a wheel-speed controller to regulate torque at each wheel to optimise turn-in and traction. According to Mohr, the reason for using two motors – rather than a triple motor system that would enable more precise torque vectoring – is that this layout offers a more natural feel when sliding the car.

The Lanzador categorically won’t try to simulate the sound and delivery of an ICE car, but the firm will look at new ways to conjure a more engaging, interactive power delivery than existing electric cars.

It won’t be built with track use in mind, either. Some of the car’s development has taken place on circuit and it will be competent in this environment, says Lamborghini, but this is primarily a road-going GT – hence bodywork formed to reduce drag. For greater duality, the Lanzador offers two modes – Efficiency and Downforce – which configure its moveable aero devices and cooling ducts to optimise either range or high-speed stability, while the enormous 23-inch wheels feature their own aeroblade inserts to minimise turbulence.

Melding all of these systems together is a new suite of drive modes, each of which provides a more distinct flavour than would be possible with an equivalent ICE model. Rather than giving the driver complete freedom to define the character of the car (as in a Rimac Nevera, for example), Lamborghini will develop its own presets to change steering behaviour, damping, torque delivery and aero settings (among others) in one hit.

The elephant in the room, of course, is how much all this is going to weigh. Mohr has set the target of producing the lightest electric GT car in the segment, with the Lanzador projected to weigh less than hybrids of a similar size. Admittedly, that’s a low bar when most easily exceed two tons, but we’re intrigued to feel the results of Lamborghini’s full technical might in the electric age.