When launching the Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimate recently, Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann said that the normally-aspirated V12 supercar would be the last of its kind. Many feared that this signalled the end of the 12-cylinder road for Lamborghini, however a new report indicates that this is not the case.
According to Autoblog, Lamborghini is working on a brand new electrified V12 powertrain for the Aventador’s replacement, which is due in 2023. According to the US publication, the new V12 will still be normally aspirated, as Lamborghini believes that force feeding puts unnecessary strain on the motor, while also adding a weight penalty.
In order to meet future emissions regulations, the forthcoming V12 will be paired with an electric motor, but it won’t be the same system that we see in the current Sian hypercar.
“The technology is different, it’s a completely new engine, a completely new drivetrain, a new battery, everything is completely new. There’s nothing out of the Sián or out of the Aventador,” Winkelmann told Autoblog.
While the Aventador replacement will emerge in 2023 as the first series-production hybrid model, Lamborghini says that its entire line-up will be electrified by the end of 2024. The first purely electric Lambo, however, will only surface after 2025. This all forms part of a new electrification strategy announced in May, which will see Lamborghini making the biggest investment in its history by spending more than 1,5 billion euro (R26 bn) on electrifying its range. This, the company hopes, will allow it to reduce its carbon footprint by half in the next four years.
In the meantime the old-fashioned formula is getting a potent send-off in the form of the aforementioned Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae that was revealed earlier this month. Set to be produced in limited numbers (as in 350 coupes and 250 roadsters) the newcomer is powered by an upgraded version of the SVJ’s 6,5-litre naturally aspirated V12 engine, boasting outputs of 574 kW at 8 500 r/min and 720 N.m from 6 750 r/min.
