Car enthusiasts have a history of avoiding electric cars. While some are fully supportive of electrification and hybridization, others are still obsessed with gasoline. This is especially true in high-end, high-priced areas such as Lamborghini.
Electrification and the promotion of hybrid powertrains pose a major challenge to automakers known for creating impressive custom vehicles with the world’s most powerful gasoline engines. From the upper part of Lamborghini, you can feel some resistance to it.
Lamborghini says it will move all models to hybrid powertrains by 2024. The Sián FKP 37 and Countach LPI 800-4 have already been announced as limited hybrid models, but the first mass production with a hybrid powertrain (that is, in the limited edition). The vehicle will be released by next year.
Ferrari, McLaren, Porsche and others continue to make both mass-produced and limited-edition vehicles with hybrid powertrains, and Lamborghini is one of the last supercar makers to enter the field. Become.
Lamborghini wants to innovate the future of their iconic supersports car with the help of its loyal customers.
The future of Lamborghini fuel
“On the other hand, we are a very niche and have a very small share of the CO2 equation, but we want to play our part,” said Lamborghini’s new North American CEO. Andrea Baldi said at the launch event of Huracán STO, one of the company’s last models of the company’s last model, the Huracán, which will continue to be released.
“The shift to hybrid, electric, and alternative powertrains forces us to rethink performance, and we’re not sure if electrification is the long-term direction.”
“Whether we release a fourth model with a hybrid or electric powertrain, or find a solution for an internal combustion engine that uses a different type of fuel, we will continue to learn more. We need to achieve the common goal of emotion and a true Lamborghini experience,” Baldi said.
He didn’t give details of the fuels and technologies that the company might adopt, but Lamborghini CTO Maurizio Reggiani is interesting to suggest that Lamborghini will be fully electrified in the future. There was a reference to the study.
“Hybrid powertrains are the next frontier we are confident that we can innovate,” Reggiani said separately. “Our raison d’etre is that we have our own DNA. We are engineering emotions. What impact does a physical event, such as vibration, have on the flow of emotions? We are collaborating with Polytechnic University of Milan on how to give.”
You can see the world where the physical effects of the ICE engine are simulated by the gyroscope and audio track.
Technically, the Lamborghini plant in Santa Agata Bolognese has been carbon-neutral since 2015, Bardi said. However, the 1800-employee company is part of the much larger and higher carbon-emission VW (Volkswagen) Group.
Car production is low and Lamborghini has been forced to switch to alternative fuels, despite the Italian government’s move to exclude automakers like Lamborghini and Ferrari from future internal combustion engine regulations.
According to Bardi, Lamborghini accounts for one in 11,000 cars in the world, a small number compared to giant car makers like Toyota and Honda. “Hybridization and electrification offer Lamborghini owners the opportunity to expand the future of emotions. Get the dream. Most customers want a car that expresses their success”.
Mr. Baldi. Nonetheless, no matter how much Lamborghini customers want to continue using internal combustion engines in the future, the era of such engines is nearing its end.
Build direct connections with customers
Lamborghini has consistently put meeting customer needs at the core of its brand. We are working with loyal owners to determine the direction of future models for a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions in 2025.
The recent launch of the already sold-out Countach LPI 800-4 at Pebble Beach is a good example of how Lamborghini leveraged its customer base to create high-demand new products with hybrid powertrains.
“It’s not just about building a car without getting involved. We’ve deepened our customer ties throughout the customer experience,” says Bardi.
“The special project we carried out at Countach was to build direct trust between the company and our customers. We were able to hold one-on-one meetings like friends and communicate our efforts at Countach. The construction of this car, created by emotional decisions, was a great business case.”
Due to the outbreak of the new coronavirus infection and the consequent travel restrictions, factory visits were largely canceled during 2020. But Lamborghini launched a digital platform called Unica in 2018, enabling it to offer the special customer contacts and services owners expect.
The app can be downloaded to smartphones and owners get access to dedicated events, launches and social media. To sign up, you need to submit your Lamborghini VIN and ownership certificate.
The app eventually opened up the possibility of direct sales between the company and the consumer. “Direct sales are an area we need to explore. We are in an accelerating era and want to have a direct relationship with our customers. The problem is direct contact with our customers. How much can we expand,” says Bardi.
“To ensure the sense that the value of the car is maintained, we need to interact with our customers. Currently, the average waiting time for a car is over a year. It’s time to sell the car and we have direct contact with our customers, so the value is preserved.”
Lamborghini’s latest model, the Huracán STO, is a street homologation racing car. It’s currently sold out until 2022 and comes with the Unica app and vehicle-based connectivity.
The system allows you to record data during a driving session, such as lap times, throttle and brake inputs, handle angles, and videos of laps on the track taken by the built-in camera and upload them to the app. It’s a kind of elite social network for Lamborghini owners, giving the company a more direct way to connect.
“Customers want the right context to experience Lamborghini,” says Bardi. “The super sports car market is expanding. If we can provide such a car lifestyle and motorsport experience and expand the range of human interaction, our customers will stay within the brand.”