In spite of its history of building powerful V12 supercars, Lamborghini is looking toward an electric future with the Lanzador concept. The 2+2 Lanzador isn’t merely a design exercise, but rather an early look at the automaker’s first EV, due to arrive in 2028 as an alternative to other high-dollar EVs.
Doing battle with the likes of the Ferrari Purosangue and Rolls-Royce Spectre, the Lanzador should feature the all-weather performance of the former with the jaw-dropping proportions and presence of the latter. Bold styling, a futuristic cabin, and most importantly, a staggering power output of 1,341 horsepower guarantee it’ll fit in with other Lamborghini models, V12 or not.
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As a concept, the Lanzador doesn’t have too many concrete details as to the EV powertrain found underneath its bold skin. Lamborghini says that it will feature dual motors with a high specific output, giving it all-wheel drive. Powering those motors will be an unspecified “high-performance battery, which also ensures a long range,” but again, details are scant. Lamborghini will cop to one significant figure, however: The Lanzador will boast 1 megawatt of power, which translates to that four-digit horsie number.
Helping corral all that grunt is the Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva system, which provides precise aerodynamic control of a movable front splitter, sideways blades at the rear, an extending diffuser, and shutters within the air curtain system. In its most efficient mode, those aero elements adjust to provide minimum wind resistance, while sportier drive settings ratchet up downforce for better control.
An active suspension system also appears on the Lamborghini Lanzador, with air springs, adaptive dampers, and rear-axle steering improving performance and stability. Likewise, precise torque vectoring helps distribute power to the forward and rear motors, with each sending power right and left to provide snappier turn-in and more balanced handling.
The Bullfighter’s Uniform
Featuring unique proportions relative to existing Lambos, the Lanzador combines “ultra high-performance elements of the Revuelto super sports car and the animated versatility of an Urus.” That starts with greater ground clearance than we initially suspected, improving the car’s usability on bad roads (or coffee shop driveways). Given our prior experience with high-clearance Lamborghinis, the Lanzador could be pretty darn fun to drive.
Those proportions, however, may take some getting used to. As a new form factor in the company’s lineup, the Lanzador looks a bit tall and ungainly. Although the gloss black lower body cladding helps reduce visual height – squint at the blue bits and you’ll see the silhouette of a supercar – the Lanzador is only about 4 inches lower to the ground than an Urus. Its simplified and modernized body surfacing, however, is much cleaner and more traditionally attractive than the polarizing Revuelto, and it’s possible that future Lambos will be similarly toned down.
Despite its modernized proportions and shape, the Lanzador concept still has a number of Lamborghini-signature design cues, including geometric Gandini arches over the wheels (á la Countach) and a Y-shaped bodyside accent intended to recall the air intakes of a mid-engined car. The roofline, although shaped for rear passengers, still maintains the silhouette of a modern Lamborghini, and three-element taillights draw a parallel to the plug-in hybrid Revuelto flagship. The shape of the daylight opening even looks a bit like that of the bygone Murcielago, with the rear windows aping that vehicle’s “batwing” extendable air intakes.
Space-Age Space
Those seeking a bit of drama will be sad to learn the Lanzador has traditionally opening doors, not the scissors made famous by every V12 supercar since the Countach. They provide access to a spacious-looking interior, as sporty coupes go, with reconfigurable rear seats and a large cargo area improving everyday usability. Lamborghini’s signature “pilot” concept appears up front, where the driver and front passenger sit behind a Y-shaped dashboard, with a floating center console bridge separating them.
A digital instrument cluster and passenger-side display handle infotainment duties, and a center touchscreen is notably absent. Instead, you’ll find an array of buttons and switches astride the console, some controlling the screens and others controlling the car. And as on all modern Lamborghinis, the start button sits underneath a missile-launch door, while a toggle handles forward and reverse selection.
The cabin also makes extensive use of eco-friendly materials, according to Lamborghini. For example, the Merino wool upholstery comes from Australian sheep that grow a new fleece every year, making the material renewable (although some animal rights advocates might point out that sheep only need shearing as a result of human domestication). Stitching the wool dash, door panel, and seat upholstery together are threads made from recycled nylon, and the seat foam is made from recycled plastic and 3D-printed to reduce waste.
Lamborghini also uses sustainably tanned leather in the cabin, processing it with residual water from olive oil production. The water would otherwise need to be treated in a wastewater facility due to its high acidity and phytotoxic effect, but it can be reused instead by chemical manufacturers to produce tanning agents. Lamborghini is also proud of the Italian synergy between its supercars and the nation’s olive oil industry.
Heart Of A Bull
The Lamborghini Lanzador concept is the latest proof of the company’s new decarbonization ethos, called Direzione Cor Tauri. The brightest star in the constellation Taurus, Cor Tauri also means “the heart of a bull” in Latin. The automaker is pointing to Cor Tauri as an aspirational symbol, reducing its carbon footprint without abandoning the spirit of the bull that Feruccio Lamborghini idealized.
For starters, every Lamborghini will be electrified in some way by the end of 2024, with the Lanzador arriving in 2028 as the fourth model in the automaker’s lineup (and its first EV). The production-spec Lanzador will be built near the company’s headquarters in Sant’Agata Bolognese, and the automaker is planning on hiring additional employees to support the EV’s development and production. Price is obviously a good distance away from being finalized, but considering the cheapest Lambo currently demands well over $200,000 and the Revuelto crests 600 large, don’t expect the Lanzador to be cheap.
