Lamborghini CEO: Driver assistance technology will not be provided in the near future, and pure electric vehicles will be launched in 2028

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the world economy hard, but it hasn't affected people's enthusiasm for buying ultra-luxury cars. "At present, Lamborghini's orders have almost exceeded the full capacity in 2022, and it can be predicted that sales will continue to grow in 2022." Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann recently told the first financial reporter.

In 2021, Lamborghini sold 8,405 vehicles in the global market, an increase of 13% year-on-year, of which 935 units were sold in the Chinese market, an increase of 55% year-on-year. The Chinese market has become Lamborghini's second largest market in the world, after the US market.

"Many ultra-luxury brands have achieved good sales performance in 2021, and the market demand for ultra-luxury cars is growing, the reason is that in the face of the new crown epidemic, people realize that they should really enjoy life, so they choose to buy the model they want; due to the travel restrictions of the new crown epidemic, people stay in China for more time and will increase related consumption in domestic travel; with the continuous development of electrification, people realize that models powered by internal combustion engines will gradually fade out of the market and hope to seize the opportunity to buy." Stephan Winkelmann told reporters that although China is the world's largest auto market, the scale of the high-end auto market is not the largest, which also means that the future growth potential of China's high-end auto market is huge. In addition, the importance of the SUV market will be further highlighted, Lamborghini will further invest in the SUV model Urus, and in 2024 will launch a plug-in hybrid version of the Urus model.

Lamborghini currently has three product lines, including Aventador, Huracán and Urus. Stephan Winkelmann said that 2022 is still in the final stages of paying tribute to the internal combustion engine, and Lamborghini will launch two Huracán derivatives as well as a revamped version of the Urus. Between 2025 and 2030, Lamborghini will launch a fourth product line to develop into a pure electric model.

Because the existing technology is not enough to support the performance experience brought by ultra-luxury cars, ultra-luxury car companies generally launch electric vehicle products late. Aston Martin's first electric car will be launched in 2025, and according to the plan, by 2030, Aston Martin's pure electric vehicle sales will reach 50%, and the remaining 50% will be borne by plug-in hybrid models. Bentley will offer a hybrid version of each model by 2023, launch the first all-electric model in 2025, and achieve all plug-in hybrid and pure electric technologies in 2026.

Stephan Winkelmann told reporters that Lamborghini's future electrification path has been very clear, first of all to develop hybrid models, and then pure electric models. He said Lamborghini invested 1.5 billion euros to develop hybrid models, carrying out technical self-development, and the first plug-in hybrid model will be launched in 2023, that is, the successor model of Aventador, and in 2024 will launch Urus and the next generation of Huracán plug-in hybrid models. By the end of 2024, all Lamborghini models will be hybridized, and by 2025, Lamborghini's CO2 emissions will be reduced by 50%, and it is expected to launch a pure electric model around 2028.

"According to customer acceptance of electric technology, customers are very much looking forward to the brand electrification revolution, and many young customers also believe that the brands they buy need to meet the requirements of sustainability. Other brands in the market have also been electrified and adjusted, and the market acceptance is very good. Therefore, we are not worried about the acceptance of the model. Stephan Winkelmann said that the company is also exploring other hybrid forms of future supercars, such as the use of internal combustion engines and synthetic fuels, hoping to retain the power form of the internal combustion engine for as long as possible.

Lamborghini is an ultra-luxury brand of the Volkswagen Group, which has more aggressive plans in the field of electric vehicles. As for whether it will share a pure electric vehicle platform with another sub-brand Porsche in the future, or use other electric vehicle platforms built by the Volkswagen Group, Stephan Winkelmann told reporters: "At present, there is no platform to be used, the group has done a good job in cutting-edge technology research and development, providing a variety of advanced technologies, platforms and opportunities, so that we can choose the most suitable development path for the brand in the future, and achieve electrification transformation in the most efficient and optimized way. This is also our strength as a sub-brand of the Group. Lamborghini's main task at this stage is to determine that the future electric models are brand-recognizable, ensuring that every model that leaves the Italian headquarters factory is different from other brands. ”

In terms of autonomous driving technology, Stephan Winkelmann said that it is expected that in late 2030 or early 2040 or early 2040, Lamborghini may consider using L4 level autonomous driving technology on some multifunctional models, such as in the fourth product line (pure electric model) or the successor model of Urus. "We'll consider using driver assistance technology that allows motorists to relax occasionally on congested roads without having to hold the steering wheel tightly. But customers buy Lamborghini models mainly to enjoy the pleasure of driving, so performance and passion are the focus of our pursuit. Of course, we will also provide some driver assistance technologies under the conditions that the technology allows and meets the needs of customers, but it will not be realized in the near future. Stephan Winkelmann told reporters.