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Car enthusiasts have a history of hesitation when it comes to electric cars. While some are fully on board with electrification and hybridization, there are still a few hesitant about gasoline, especially in the rarefied and sharp end-of-range spectrum like Lamborghini.
The push for electrification and hybrid powertrains poses a significant challenge for the automaker known to create striking bespoke containers for some of the most powerful gasoline engines in the world, and there is a small sense of reluctance about that. from top Lamborghini officers.
Lamborghini has announced that it will switch all models to hybrid powertrains by 2024 and has already announced a hybrid model, the extremely limited-stroke Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 and the Countach LPI 800-4. By next year, the first production (i.e. not limited) vehicle with a hybrid powertrain will be released, although Lamborghini is still not sure what it will look like exactly. While other supercar makers like Ferrari, McLaren and Porsche continue to manufacture both production and limited-edition vehicles with hybrid powertrains, Lamborghini is one of the latest supercar companies to enter the market. Game.
Lamborghini hopes to leverage its loyal customers to innovate around the future of their iconic super sports cars.
The future of fuel for Lamborghini
“On the one hand, we are a great niche – and are only a very small part of the CO2 equation. But we want to do our part, ”said Andrea Baldi, Lamborghini’s new North American CEO, at a recent launch event for one of the last gasoline-powered Huracans that Lamborghini will launch, the Huracán STO. “The shift to hybrid, electric and alternative powertrains is forcing us to rethink performance and we’re not sure electrification is the direction to go in the long term. “
“Whether we launch a fourth model with a hybrid or electric powertrain or find an internal combustion solution that uses a different type of fuel, we are still learning. We have to achieve a common goal: emotion and the authentic Lamborghini experience, ”said Baldi.
He didn’t give details on what kind of fuel or technology the company might use, but Lamborghini’s technical director Maurizio Reggiani hinted at some interesting research that could point to a fully electrified Lamborghini in the to come up.
“Hybrid powertrains are the next frontier where we are sure we can innovate,” Reggiani said separately. “We exist because we have unique DNA. We design emotion and we conduct research with the Polytechnic University of Milan on how physical events like vibrations, for example, can impact the flow of emotions. It’s possible to see a world where the physical effects of an ICE engine are simulated by gyroscopes and audio tracks.
Technically, Lamborghini’s plant in Sant’Agata Bolognese has been carbon neutral since 2015, says Baldi, but the company of 1,800 people is part of the much larger and much more carbon-emitting VW group. Yet despite its low volume of vehicles and a concerted push by the Italian government to exempt automakers like Lamborghini and Ferrari from the upcoming combustion engine ban, Lamborghini is forced to move towards an alternative fuel future.
Baldi says that one in 11,000 vehicles in the world is a Lamborghini, which is tiny compared to an automaker like Toyota or Honda. “Hybridization and electrification offer the opportunity to broaden the future of emotion for the owner of Lamborghini. You buy a dream. The majority of customers are looking for a car that expresses their success, ”explains Baldi. Yet no matter how much Lamborghini customers want their combustion engines to continue well into the future, those engines’ time is coming to an end.
Build a direct connection with the customer
Responding to customer demands has always been at the heart of the Lamborghini brand and the company relies on its loyal owners to determine the model’s future direction as it targets a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions from 2025. The recent launch of the already sold-out Countach LPI 800-4 at Pebble Beach is an example of how Lamborghini is using its customer base to create a new, in-demand product with a hybrid powertrain.
“We can’t just create vehicles in a vacuum. The entire customer experience has enriched the relationships we have with our customers, ”said Baldi. “The special project that we carried out with the Countach was an exercise in direct trust between the company and the customer. We had one-on-one meetings as if they were friends and it helped inform what we did with Countach. Building this vehicle was an emotional decision and it was a good business case. “
With the advent of COVID and the resulting travel limits, factory tours were largely halted in 2020, but Lamborghini was ahead of the game by launching a digital platform called Unica, in 2018, which brought them to life. has helped provide the specialized customer contact and service that owners expect. The app can be downloaded to a smartphone and owners have access to exclusive events, launches and social media. To register, you must provide your Lamborghini’s VIN and your certificate of ownership.
The application thus opened up the possibility of direct sales between the company and consumers. “Direct selling is an area we need to explore. We are in an era of acceleration, and we want to have a direct relationship with customers. The question is how far can we extend direct contact with customers? Baldi said. “To ensure the feeling that the value of the car will be preserved, we need to have high quality customer relationships. The average wait for a car is currently over a year, right now. The wait time sells these cars and the value is preserved as we have direct contact with customers.
Lamborghini’s latest model, the Huracán STO, a street-legal race car, is currently sold out until 2022 and comes with additional connectivity through the Unica app and the vehicle. The system allows owners to record lap times, throttle and brake inputs, steering angle and video of laps on a track and upload the data to the app. There, owners can share their information with other Lamborghini owners, their friends, the company or their race trainers to further improve their performance. It becomes something of an elite social network for Lamborghini owners and offers a way for the company to connect in a more direct way.
“Customers demand the right context to experience a Lamborghini,” said Baldi. “Supersport cars are booming. If we can deliver these experiences in the automotive lifestyle and motorsport, and expand to higher contact, customers will stay within the brand. “
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