Autocar July 6, 2022

LAST WEEK, THE EU pushed forward plans to ban the sale of combustion engines from 2035, reflecting a similar decision here in the UK. Good news in the quest for a better future for the planet, but where does it leave the low-volume combustionengined cars that we so love? Encouragingly, things are looking up. The suggestion – as yet unconfirmed – is that car makers with volumes below 10,000 units annually, such as Ferrari and Lamborghini, will be exempt from meeting interim carbon targets ahead of 2035, rather than the proposed 2029. Both of those firms are developing EVs – for details of Lamborghini’s zero-emissions 2+2 GT, see p6 – but this news suggests that combustionengined sports cars (with a hybrid element) can continue alongside these models for even longer than we…

The first fully electric Lamborghini will be an all-new, radically styled 2+2 crossover arriving in 2028, adding a fourth model line to the Italian brand’s range, and it will be swiftly followed by an electric-only second-generation Urus SUV, CEO Stephan Winkelmann has revealed to Autocar. Intriguingly, the launch of the electric duo also raises the possibility of Lamborghini’s sports cars – currently called the Huracán and Aventador – keeping petrol power as part of a plug-in hybrid system for at least two more generations, the first launching next year and the second at the turn of the decade. This means they could be on sale until at least 2035, when most regions are expected to legislate full electrification for new cars. The continuation of the sports cars as combustionengine models is a potential…

LAST WEEK, THE EU pushed forward plans to ban the sale of combustion engines from 2035, reflecting a similar decision here in the UK. Good news in the quest for a better future for the planet, but where does it leave the low-volume combustionengined cars that we so love? Encouragingly, things are looking up. The suggestion – as yet unconfirmed – is that car makers with volumes below 10,000 units annually, such as Ferrari and Lamborghini, will be exempt from meeting interim carbon targets ahead of 2035, rather than the proposed 2029. Both of those firms are developing EVs – for details of Lamborghini’s zero-emissions 2+2 GT, see p6 – but this news suggests that combustionengined sports cars (with a hybrid element) can continue alongside these models for even longer…

The first fully electric Lamborghini will be an all-new, radically styled 2+2 crossover arriving in 2028, adding a fourth model line to the Italian brand’s range, and it will be swiftly followed by an electric-only second-generation Urus SUV, CEO Stephan Winkelmann has revealed to Autocar. Intriguingly, the launch of the electric duo also raises the possibility of Lamborghini’s sports cars – currently called the Huracán and Aventador – keeping petrol power as part of a plug-in hybrid system for at least two more generations, the first launching next year and the second at the turn of the decade. This means they could be on sale until at least 2035, when most regions are expected to legislate full electrification for new cars. The continuation of the sports cars as combustionengine models…

ROUVEN MOHR HAS held the enviable responsibility of engineering Lamborghini’s radical electrified future since January. He moved across from the validation department to fill the sizeable shoes of CTO Maurizio Reggiani, who is now vice-president of the brand’s motorsport division. Like Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann, the German is no stranger to the halls of Sant’Agata. Mohr served as head of development for the Aventador, Huracán and Urus before leaving for a brief second stint at sibling brand Audi, where he specialised in energy and weight management. He told us what to expect from what was, not so long ago, the completely unexpected: a Lamborghini without an engine. What are the challenges of electrification? “The first thing I want to say is that there are opportunities, too. A performance hybrid, rather than one focused on…

“They’re charging £3-4 million for a hypercar and we’ll be 10-15sec quicker than them at Silverstone” Volkswagen made headlines at the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed when its ID R electric racer surged to the top of the hill in 39.9sec – and that record stood for three years until being beaten last weekend by Wiltshire-based start-up McMurtry Automotive, whose ludicrous Spéirling fan car shaved 0.82sec off that time. We spoke to ex-Marussia Formula 1 driver Max Chilton – who was at the wheel for the record run – to find out exactly how it was done, what it means and what’s coming next. What did it feel like? “Everyone has watched the Festival of Speed multiple times, but to see it speed up like that… They can see it looks visibly different, which…