In a decade’s time, radically styled Raging Bulls will quietly trundle along like any other EV unless the Italian automaker manages to solve the synthetic fuel puzzle to appease future carbon emission standards. The automaker believes that true ICE Lamborghini salvation may exist in synthetic fuels!
It is hard to imagine a silent Lamborghini since the lunacy of their design language speaks volumes of their performance but this is a reality we may have to accept by the early years of the next decade… and beyond. The pure V12 as we know it is becoming an obsolete form of propulsion in itself, struggling to meet the strict demands of modern regulations. Hybridisation is the stop-gap to full electrification and is an aspect that improves both efficiency and power at the expense of weight.
Yet to understand what synthetic fuels are? Watch this video.
The Sant’Agata Bolognese automaker still has one card up its sleeve to ensure that they can retain that fiery goodness that has given us some of the most audible satisfaction in the past half century. In a recent interview, Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann said the company isn’t in a hurry to decide on whether it should completely move away from combustion engines.
Niche automakers that are less focused around volume have a few more years at their disposal to pull the trigger on an EV future. Winkelmann is holding out on this for now believing that Lamborghini salvation may exist in synthetic fuels after stating: “We still have the opportunity maybe to go into synthetic fuel with those types of cars.”
A realist, the German born head honcho knows that current legislation wouldn’t allow for such either, despite its carbon neutral impact. This won’t happen overnight, at least after a monumental ruling in the EU outlawed the sale of all new ICE cars by the next decade but Winklemann knows that the true Lamborghini salvation is at the hands of policy makers.
That being said, the Italian automaker has confirmed that the next generation of Urus SUV will employ an electrified powertrain in their bid to reduce short term emissions. Lamborghini aren’t the only ones dabbling in synthetic fuels but for the sake of enthusiasts, we hope the brightest minds within the industry can get it right.