Currently reading: First Lamborghini EV to pack 980V electricals, up to 2000bhp

New details revealed of Porsche-developed platform for Volkswagen Group's electric performance cars

Lamborghini’s first electric car, which is set to arrive before the end of the decade, could offer up to 2000bhp, according to Volkswagen Group boss Oliver Blume.

The Italian firm is currently developing its first EV, which is set to be based on the Lanzador 2+2 GT concept first shown in 2023. It will sit on a platform being honed for the Volkswagen Group’s performance and luxury brands.

Asked about the Lamborghini EV at the Volkswagen Group’s annual media conference, Blume said it will benefit from the “approach that the Volkswagen Group has with a joint electric kit that will benefit from synergies across brands”.

He added that the EV would “use a platform that development of is being led by Porsche for Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini and Porsche, that will allow for up to 2000hp [1973bhp] and 980 volts. It’s a very specific set-up for Lamborghini.”

Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann had previously hinted that the firm’s first EV would offer “at least one megawatt [1341bhp]”, citing a high power output as “one of the pillars” of an electric performance car.

But he also hinted that driver feel and emotional engagement was more important.

The prospect of a 980V electrical architecture for future performance models from the Volkswagen Group marks another substantial step. Currently, most EVs use a 400V architecture, although an increasing number use an 800V system that allows for faster charging, greater power delivery and increased efficiency. Some Chinese cars, such as the Nio ET9, now use a 900V architecture.

Blume confirmed that the EV would be assembled at Lamborghini’s Sant‘Agata headquarters in Italy but wouldn’t comment on where the body or batteries would be produced.

He added: “I promise that it will be a typical Lamborghini, something very emotional.”

Blume's comments follow recent assertions from Lamborghini boss Winkelmann that the brand has no plans to follow Aston Martin and Bentley in delaying its first EV but will keep its three new hybrid models on sale for as long as possible.

In an interview with Autocar at the UK debut of the Lamborghini Temerario supercar late last year, boss Winkelmann said he was confident that the firm's previously outlined electrification strategy was "the right one", because when it comes to launching EVs, "it's not about innovation, it's about coming at the right time". 

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"When we decided to do the first step of our strategy, to have all the line-up new and hybridised, this was a big effort for the company," he said. "For the last four years, we have worked very hard on this, and now we see that this was – you never know, but – the right decision. Therefore we think that to be very focused on a step-by-step approach on [electrification] was the right decision."

Winkelmann's comments came after other low-volume car makers – including Aston Martin, Bentley and Ineos – pushed back their debut electric models in light of low demand for EVs.

Lotus, meanwhile, has backtracked on plans to go all-electric and will launch a new range of range-extender hybrids, while Porsche is looking to extend the lifecycle of its current ICE cars in response to low EV uptake in the premium segment.

Winkelmann said that because Lamborghini's first EV is an all-new model, rather than a replacement for any current car, there is less risk of it impacting the company's sales volumes - and it could even increase them.

"We have enough time to decide if we need to accelerate or delay the introduction of the electric cars," he said. "So far, we are not thinking about delaying anything: we said we want to have our first electric car by the end of this decade, and this is something which we will continue to foster, because we said it has to be an additional car - a fourth model.

"It's an additional model – a new body style, a new type of car in general – so it's also going to attract new customers to Lamborghini."

The company is therefore sticking to its plan to launch the production version of the Lanzador by 2030.

Nonetheless, Winkelmann acknowledged that the curve of EV uptake is not "as steep as forecasted" and said this is "even more" true for the super-sports car segment in which Lamborghini operates, so the company's strategy to "stay hybrid as long as possible is really the right one". 

Following the launch of the Hurácan-replacing Temerario with a new electrified V8 engine, Lamborghini's three existing model lines are now fully hybridised - and Winkelmann said the company won't reverse its decision to go all-electrified, even if synthetic fuel proves a viable means of cleanly powering combustion engines in the future.

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"I don't think that battery technology is going to step out of our cars, because at the end of the day, it is something which helps the performance, not inhibits performance," he said. "And battery technology will evolve, and if we stay hybrid, this is going to help the performance of the cars even more."

The performance benefits of electrification are clearly helping Lamborghini's customers to make the jump to hybrid power. The Revuelto, with its battery-assisted V12 engine, is sold out "well into 2026", and the new Urus SE plug-in hybrid SUV is spoken for through to the end of 2025.

With the Hurácan still in production, Winkelmann would not be drawn on a number of orders for the Temerario but said "we have a lot of interest and already a lot of orders". 

Notably, while the Temerario is down two cylinders on its predecessor, it has a larger engine than its V6-engined rivals, the Ferrari 296, McLaren Artura and Maserati MC20 - and Winkelmann suggested that size advantage, plus the attractive aural bonus of a 10,000rpm redline, will be a significant selling point for Lamborghini's new entry-level model.

"When you buy a Lamborghini, it's about the fulfilment, usually, of a dream or a childhood dream, and therefore it's a very emotional decision. And what we have to always be capable of doing is to have a balance between achieving the desire of our clients and, on the other hand, having a lasting business case for the company.

"We cannot do the things for just one year; it has to last over a decade, mainly. And therefore it's very important that our engineers are clever enough to put together the thresholds of what the outer world is giving you with the desire of our clients."

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Felix Page

Felix Page
Title: Deputy editor

Felix is Autocar's deputy editor, responsible for leading the brand's agenda-shaping coverage across all facets of the global automotive industry - both in print and online.

He has interviewed the most powerful and widely respected people in motoring, covered the reveals and launches of today's most important cars, and broken some of the biggest automotive stories of the last few years. 

James Attwood

James Attwood, digital editor
Title: Acting magazine editor

James is Autocar’s associate editor, and has more than 20 years of experience of working in automotive and motorsport journalism. He has been in his current role since September 2024, and helps lead Autocar's features and new sections, while regularly interviewing some of the biggest names in the industry. Oh, and he once helped make Volkswagen currywurst. Really.

Before first joining Autocar in 2017, James spent more than a decade in motorsport journalist, working on Autosport, autosport.com, F1 Racing and Motorsport News, covering everything from club rallying to top-level international events. He also spent 18 months running Move Electric, Haymarket's e-mobility title, where he developed knowledge of the e-bike and e-scooter markets. 

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Peter Cavellini 11 March 2025

Why huge BHP?, where in public roads can you use it?, stats say your overage owners car spends 90% parked up, ok,I can understand buyers of cars like this want down the Pub bragging rights, but, hands up who among us is brave enough to use even half your cars potential?, handling, I think that's more my scene, BMW nxt gen M3 is supposed to be not just about BHP ( its mooted to be getting 1700bhp?) it's supposed to have nxt step handling too,so, yes there will be cars with two three thousand hp which will be joy ride stuff down a very long runway, but will like the rest us Mon-Fri commuters be trundling along in start stop traffic fffnn and blinding at the so in so in front.