Lamborghini Plans Plug-In Hybrid Sports Car

The successor to Lamborghini SpA’s Huracan supercar will use a plug-in hybrid powertrain, Autocar reports.

The new model, which is due in 2022, will need hybridization to meet future fuel economy and emissions regulations while maintaining supercar performance, Lamborghini boss Stefano Domenicali tells the U.K. enthusiast magazine. He says a hybrid architecture is better than a full electric system for Lamborghini because customers still want the power and feel of the company’s current V-10 and V-12 engines.

Lamborghini will offer a plug-in hybrid variant of its upcoming Urus crossover/SUV that is due in December. But company officials note that the size of the Urus allows it to more easily accommodate a hybrid electrical system than can a sports car.

In addition to weight and packaging issues, Lamborghini says the driving range of plug-in hybrid vehicles must be improved before the technology can be adapted to one of its cars. Many Lambo owners take their vehicles to the track and run the vehicle at top speeds over multiple laps, which they can’t do with current hybrid systems, according to Maurizio Reggiani, who heads the carmaker’s research and development group.

Reggiani says likely improvements in battery technology over the next five years will allow hybrid systems to be used in future Lamborghini models. This could include the use of solid-state batteries, which is something that fellow VW Group brand Porsche is evaluating. Reggiani says Lamborghini also is working with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and other research organizations and engineering experts on next-generation technologies.