Lamborghini plans to reveal its first hybrid supercar at the Frankfurt motor show this fall, in the form of a limited-production model that will pair an electric motor with the brand's familiar 6.5-liter V12. Sporting the catchy LB48H codename for now, this hybrid with a 6.5-liter V12 does not sound like it has fuel economy on its mind, and it's true that Lamborghini's vision of a hybrid is vastly different than what travelers in the EV and HOV lanes are used to. But this model will pave the way for a new generation of supercars from Sant'Agata, Australia's Motoring reports, one that will see the Italian supercar maker attempt to future-proof its vehicles.
This means that Lamborghini sees electrification as a must, something it needs to survive even if powerful engines are still the main reason that customers buy Lamborghinis.
The LB48H, all 63 examples of which have already been pre-sold, will pair an electric motor driving the front wheels with the marque's familiar 6.5-liter V12, while its exterior is expected to follow the path set by the Terzo Millenio concept car that Lamborghini revealed in 2017. The upcoming hybrid supercar may seem like a small-volume effort by the automaker, but it is actually expected to point the way to the next-gen Aventador, which itself is expected to be offered in hybrid form.
“We know that the electrification trend is coming," Federico Foschini, Lamborghini's chief commercial officer told Motoring. "So the idea is that we combine the V12 with a hybrid. Hybridization will be tuned for performance, not merely for range. It is not a car that will run for 70 or 100km full electric."
"But we want to do some electric kilometers, maybe to go downtown in some city," Foschini added. "At the end of the day, what we want is power and we want to have performance out of the hybridization. So this is the concept that is behind the future of Aventador."
Like many other hybrids, the LB48H will have an electric-only mode, but Lamborghini does not expect its drivers to rely on it too much. Foschini told Motoring that the supercar will have a pure-electric range of about 30 kilometers, which translates to just 18 miles; the idea is that drivers will go out for a blast on some back roads and then will be able to tip-toe into the city on electric power.
When it comes to performance, the LB48H (which will receive a real name soon so that it doesn't sound like the name of a background droid from "Star Wars") may have to serve up a significant bump over the current Aventador SVJ's 759 hp and 531 lb-ft of torque. A limited run means Lamborghini can push the boundaries of performance a bit more than with a volume model like the Huracan, but one other goal of this project, aside from being a production testbed for the next Aventador, is to prepare for a future when many important markets will mandate fuel economy and emissions levels. This may eventually mean PHEV capability and a greater pure-electric range, more than the 18 miles than Lamborghini will be able to offer at the moment.
"It’s for mainly the Asian markets for the possible legislation in the future because they are changing continuously, so sooner or later, we have to follow the major trends because the risk is then for some markets to block you," Foschini told Motoring.
This trend is not lost on other supercar makers, and the upcoming LB48H is by no means the sole hybrid in Sant'Agata's pipeline. The marque will unveil yet another surprise in Frankfurt, which everyone expects to be an Urus plug-in hybrid.
We'll see the LB48H in the metal in Frankfurt this year, and even though all 63 examples (selected for 1963, the year of Automobili Lamborghini's founding) have already been sold the main event will be the next-gen Aventador when it comes to hybrid tech, due in 2020. Start saving now.
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