Lamborghini Goes Electric By 2028: Lanzador Gran Turismo Concept

Lamborghini unveiled its Lanzador battery-electric concept vehicle today at Quail Lodge, which ... [+] presages a 2028 production Gran Turismo. The production vehicle will establish the company’s fourth model line. Exploiting the possibilities of a “skateboard” battery-electric powertrain, Lanzador defines a new point on the X/Y graph, planting the Lamborghini flag in undiscovered country somewhere between supercar, 2+2 Gran Turismo, sport wagon and Super-SUV.

Lamborghini unveiled its Lanzador battery-electric concept vehicle today at Quail Lodge during Monterey Car Week. Lanzador presages a 2028 production Gran Turismo that will be the company’s fourth model line, selling alongside the 1001-horsepower V12 hybrid Revuelto, the Huracán successor, and an evolution of or successor to the Urus SUV.

Worm’s eye view shows clearly that the volumes of this design are new to the world. Not a supercar, ... [+] or a conventional GT, with elements of Super-SUV and sport wagon. Lanzador will be a new sort of beast if the production vehicle resembles this.

Exploiting the possibilities of a “skateboard” battery-electric powertrain, Lanzador defines a new point on the X/Y graph, planting the Lamborghini flag in undiscovered country somewhere between supercar, 2+2 Gran Turismo, sport wagon and Super-SUV. Packaging a high-performance internal combustion powertrain in a vehicle with these volumes and forms would be difficult if not impossible.

Interior fully exploits the skateboard powertrain layout, with flat floors and ample room. Dashboard ... [+] is a radical evolution of the “spaceship” helm found in Aventador. In layout, the fusion of German logic and Italian style.

Roof spars are obvious here, providing structural integrity while allowing a dramatic panoramic ... [+] glass roof front and rear. Note the massive dial located in the center stack, a controller for the many layers of software. Start button placed under the now-traditional bright red flip cover. “Renewable” Merino wool fabric covers great sections of the interior.

But this is a concept vehicle, and thus begins the Lanzador mystery: which features are production-intent, and which are concept fantasy. After gathering input from owners at Quail and elsewhere, Lamborghini will define final configuration “in the tube” and the multi-year march to production will begin.

Lanzador is a concept car. In production, the fender arches will cover a considerably greater ... [+] section of the rear tire. Diffuser and winglets hint at aerodynamics of a future production car. Note the bold fender arches and shoulder line. Hexagonal taillights are a bold, distinctive feature.

Lanzador follows the accepted skateboard layout we all know and understand in the years following arrival of the Porsche Taycan Turbo S, a car that proved revelatory when I drove one three years ago.

Luggage compartment with rear seats in position for passengers. Floor is flat, with minimal side ... [+] intrusion from wheel arches. Rear electric motor sits directly below along the vehicle centerline and rear axle. Torque can be managed left to right in miliseconds, to provide maximum traction.

Electric motors are mounted to the front and rear axles, right along the vehicle’s centerline. Batteries are slung below the passenger compartment, hence the passenger compartment’s flat floor. Lamborghini would not speak of powertrain specifics but floated a vague power measurable of one Megawatt.

The greatly exposed tire treads would not survive to a production car, but they look incredible.

Computer scripting adjusts distribution of torque left to right with millisecond precision, sharpening handling and delivering the most efficient acceleration from launch. Lanzador has full-time all-wheel drive. Depending on final curb weight, I’d wager this vehicle will sprint to 60 mph in the two-second range or close to it.

Lamborghini Lanzador concept vehicle debuted today at Quail Lodge during Monterey Car Week. Note ... [+] 23-inch wheels wrapped in Pirellis.

To manage the instant-on electric torque, Lamborghini has developed new layers of scripting and added a good deal more sensors to collect data on vehicle behavior. The system is named Lamborghini Dinamica Veicolo Integrata (LDVI). Consider this a further elaboration, an augmentation of the “super brain” that integrates all functions of the powertrain, braking, steering, and suspension.

Fitted luggage. S-curve aerodynamic channel must be relatively small to package here.

As more and more battery-electric supercars and hypercars arrive, all with levels of torque no one could have imagined a decade or two ago, expect ever greater electronic intervention and control of vehicle performance.

Sweep of roof clearly illustrated. Mix of blue and milk chocolate reminds of popular colors from ... [+] 2000s. Note reach of steering column, also center console’s high arch, creating twin cockpit. Merino wool cloth on seats. Most buyers will opt for the added weight and snag-free surface of leather seating to avoid damaging their clothing.

Lamborghini’s vague reference to 1 Megawatt of power derived from a “new” battery technology along with a proposed production start date of 2028 seems to mesh with industry hopes and dreams that reliable solid-state batteries—sans electrolytes and far greater energy density—might be available by end of decade. But that’s merely conjecture.

Lamborghini design boss Mitja Borkert interprets traditional Lamborghini forms to create a vehicle ... [+] like no other. Lanzador occupies a new point on the X/Y graph. Borkert designed the Porsche Mission e and is thus well versed in battery-electric high-performance.

Lanzador incorporates active and passive aerodynamic elements, including a variant of Lamborghini’s Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva, or ALA, system, as first seen on the Aventador SVJ and Huracán Performante. The ALA system was developed during Stefano Domenicali’s tenure as CEO, before he left to run Formula One racing. It is a production version of a Formula One Drag Reduction System (DRS).

Lamborghini is upping its aerodynamic playbook. Splitter, winglets, airflow management in and out of ... [+] front wheel arches, and an S-curve component to ensure excellent downforce at triple digit speeds. Lanzador includes a variant of Lamborghini’s Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva, or ALA, system, which is similar to a Formula One Drag Reduction System (DRS).

In this case, ALA takes high-speed airflow from beneath the vehicle and not only shoots it across the rear wing to increase or decrease downforce, but also into the diffuser under the bumper. This technical advance is likely headed to production, no matter what the actual car will look like.

Rear air inlet, a form seen on Revuelto and echoing designs of older Lamborghinis. Note massive ... [+] 23-inch wheels with signature hexagonal pattern.

Other aero includes an S-curve at the front of the vehicle, though it is not obvious when inspecting the frunk, along with the expected ducting, inlets, and extractors on the front wheel arches and on the side sills. Nothing here is revolutionary, but Lamborghini is upping its aerodynamic playbook.

Welcome to Italian Space Force, Fighter Squadron 1. Or maybe just thunder dome.

Reading between the lines, one might conclude Lamborghini has employed the “engineering toolkit” and hard-won engineering lessons of the Porsche Taycan Turbo S as a primary building block. Taycan Turbo S combines incredible electric acceleration—0-60 mph in the mid-two-second range—with the handling expected of a Porsche. Lamborghini would not define if the vehicle has the Taycan’s signature one-speed gearbox mounted at the rear.

Aventador’s deep dash and interior always conjured thoughts of the Italian Space Force fighter ... [+] squadron, and Lanzador carries those themes much farther. Note the flat, boxed up footwells, offering ample room for those wearing size 13s and up. This will prove a comfortable space.

Also, remember that Rimac is now also part of the VW and Porsche Groups, paired with Bugatti, and the Rimac Nevera hypercar is the fastest and in some measures the quickest production vehicle on the planet.

Lamborghini design boss has evolved Lamborghini design language with skill, capturing the best work ... [+] of Marcello Gandini and Filippo Perini, yet creating forms that are totally new and fresh.

In a few years, it will be interesting to hear where Lamborghini shopped for engineering ingredients to create its own uniquely Germano-Italian electric vehicle.

Overhead view. One assumes glass panels will turn opaque in harsh sunlight. Battery-electric cars ... [+] are popular in coastal California, where the sun is hot. A graceful glass arc.

In an obvious gesture to battery-electric buyers who often also have Green sensibilities, Lanzador’s interior is comprised almost entirely of sustainable materials created in Italy. Seat foam is produced with recycled 3D-printed fibers. The carbon-fiber panels are regenerated carbon. Leather is tanned with olive oil, a process being adopted across the VW Group luxury brands. The interior is swathed in Merino wool fabrics. Yes, as in wool sheared from happy Australian sheep, the argument being that sheep grow a new coat each year and are thus renewable. I suspect most buyers will opt for the added weight and snag-free surface of leather seating to avoid damaging their clothing.

We have several years to wait, much can change along the path to production, but a production Lanzador should prove an excellent everyday electric scooter.

Head on, Lanzador looks much like Urus Super-SUV. Lanzador is finished in Azzurro Abissale.