Lambo is going electric. The legendary Italian supercar manufacturer introduced its second聽聽to 海角社区官网May 8. As a聽family car, the 2025 Lamborghini Urus SE PHEV marks a dramatic turn聽for a brand known for splashy supercars.
The EV,聽which made its global debut at the Beijing Auto Show April 24,聽makes 789 horsepower, thanks to a hybrid powertrain (engine, transmission and driveshaft); a twin-turbo, four-litre V8 married to a 25-kWh lithium-ion battery. That means it can rocket to 100 km/h somewhere in the neighbourhood of 3.4 seconds. But it can also travel up to 60 kilometres on 100 per cent electric four-wheel drive (4WD). Oh, and it has a top speed of 312 km/h 鈥 outperforming the previous model鈥檚 305 km/h limit.
So, it has four times the power of your Honda CR-V, can out-drag a Porsche 911 and has a top speed of almost 200 mph.
Sounds like a Lamborghini.
However, the well-trimmed, comfortable, environmentally conscious family carrier is a stark departure for a brand known for hardcore, uncompromising supercars.
And the brand isn鈥檛 exactly shy about the transition.
鈥淭his is going into the mainstream for Lamborghini,鈥 says Andrea Baldi, CEO of Automobili Lamborghini Americas, speaking at the launch at聽The Symes, a venue in Toronto’s West End. 鈥淲hat we had to do was win on efficiency and emissions. Everybody has to do it. Period.鈥
The demand for greater efficiency hasn鈥檛 yet forced the brand to abandon its spirit. Lambo sees it as an opportunity.
鈥淲e鈥檙e about performance, no?鈥 says Baldi. 鈥淗ybridization is helping us to improve the weight-to-power ratio. So, in that way it鈥檚 fantastic.鈥
Baldi told the Star that Lamborghini plans to roll out hybrid versions of all of its models, including its halo聽. 鈥淔or the purists who want the V12, who will not compromise on that, that鈥檚 fine,鈥 says Baldi. 鈥淲e鈥檒l hybridize it.
“The incoming cars will all be hybrid.鈥
The brand has no plans to abandon its dedicated fan base of extreme performance enthusiasts, and they plan to support their current lineup throughout their product life cycle.
That doesn鈥檛 mean that even more accessible 鈥渕ainstream鈥 products are not on the way.
鈥淏y 2028, we鈥檒l have a fully electric car,鈥 explains Baldi.
鈥淸It will be] very versatile. It鈥檚 up to you to define what kind of segment it鈥檚 in, but, for me, I think of it as a GT 2+2 crossover.鈥
Baldi is referring to the upcoming聽. Announced last year, the Lanzador adds a fourth model and brand new segment to the Lamborghini lineup.
So, what鈥檚 going on? Is it really just emissions regulations forcing the traditionally gasoline-chugging bad boys of the supercar world to make a change?
As always, the answer is money.
Lamborghini had its best year ever in 2023. Thanks to the Urus, Lamborghini moved more than 10,000 cars globally, a 12.1-per-cent growth over the previous year. In Canada, the Urus accounted for more than 54 per cent of all sales. Asking local dealers at the Urus SE reveal how the Lambo SUV has been for business, they said it鈥檚 been “a very fast mover,鈥 as cars have left the lot faster than they can arrive, and in higher volume than they鈥檝e seen. It鈥檚 not surprising. Spend a Saturday night on King St. between Portland and Bathurst and you鈥檒l see more Uruses than you can count.
Lambo has a certified hit on its hands, the likes of which the niche manufacturer, which has changed hands several times, has never seen, no matter how universally beloved the marque is.
鈥淟amborghini was always an extremely popular brand,鈥 says Baldi. 鈥淲e knew we had huge potential. But a lot of people were intimidated by [the cars]. That鈥檚 the traditional problem that every supercar manufacturer has.鈥
By creating an everyday vehicle, Lamborghini was able to extend the nameplate to new customers 鈥 like people who might need a trunk, or ground clearance, or who might just want to go for a drive while it鈥檚 raining.
Is this mainstreaming a dilution of the brand? Maybe. It鈥檚 certainly a far cry from the days when Lamborghini marketing directors proudly boasted that the聽聽was 鈥渘ot for everybody,鈥 even if they could afford it. But keep in mind, this was when peak production for Lamborghini was three cars a week. It simply wasn鈥檛 a sustainable business model.
鈥淎t the end of the day, you have to be like聽聽if you want to play in small numbers,鈥 Baldi told the Star. 鈥淭he main issue in our market is that it鈥檚 very capital-intensive; if you don鈥檛 make a profit, you鈥檙e never going to be able to make the next investment in the next generation of supercars.鈥
So, while the diehards may bemoan an electrified SUV as the next step in the Lamborghini journey, the truth is that the Urus is perhaps the smartest product to ever wear the raging bull as it may guarantee that the nameplate thrives for years.
Before you think Lamborghini has totally lost its way, it certainly doesn鈥檛 seem like the company has any ambitions to put any vehicle on sale that has the intention of being anything short of a performance monster.
鈥淚t needs to be a car that delivers emotion. Fun to drive is the key,鈥 declares Baldi. 鈥淲hat I think is paramount for Lamborghini is once you start to really push the car, you don鈥檛 feel the difference between it and a two-seater. It feels light. It does what I think. And it does it fast. When I drive it, it鈥檚 so thrilling 鈥 I can鈥檛 stop laughing.
“If you achieve that, it鈥檚 a Lamborghini.鈥
Correction - June 4, 2024
This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said the 2025 Urus SE PHEV is Lamborghini’s first-ever Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle. In fact,聽V12 Revuelto was the first PHEV Lamborghini released.
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