“We are a brand that offers an experience. We don’t offer mobility from A to B. Nobody really needs a Lamborghini. We need to generate ‘want’ with a thrill in the car. Some cars on the market are so over-engineered you don’t feel a connection. We pursue the best excitement possible.”
As Lamborghini transitions into hybrid and eventually electric models, it’s a strong mission statement from its chief technical officer Rouven Mohr. “It’s harder in EVs. But it’s not impossible. The emotionally minded car manufacturers must focus on different things in the electric world. It’s not the right way to imitate the character of internal combustion engines (ICE).
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“The emotions of future EVs won’t be generated by the type of motor or battery they use; these are only the enablers which free up performance and range requirements.
“Character is defined by other things. I think we have some cool ideas. In the next year or two we will showcase our thoughts. It’s far away from what your 0-100kph acceleration time is. That is not something that generates fun,” he added
For those of us who love the visceral thrill of driving a supercar—rather than its pummelling and arguably pointless acceleration—it’s reassuring. If a smidge surprising when Lamborghini’s current halo, the Revuelto, produces over 1,000hp and hits 100kph in 2.5sec. However, as much as Mohr admires what Hyundai has done with the simulated sounds and gearshifts of the Ioniq 5 N, these aren’t systems we should expect to headline within plug-in Lambos.
“It’s a really well done car, but we need something away from what already exists. We are not looking backward; we need to be progressive to generate the new ‘I want to have.’
“Our area of the car industry has to reinvent the character-defining attributes of a car. Step by step, the next generations will develop a different interpretation of what is cool. There will be a point where young people don’t understand the appeal of an ICE manual sports car.”
A key component of future Lamborghinis—be they internal combustion or electric—is likely to be the firm’s new Active Wheel Carrier technology, an alternative to four-wheel steering which produces more precise reactions from on-the-fly alteration of the wheels’ toe and camber. It’s already sliced whole seconds from the lap times of a Huracan RWD-based prototype.
“You can control the best position of tire then, with scalpel sharpness, define the right amount of torque. The engine has to put the air in, then fuel, then you have the combustion. You can’t control power delivery in milliseconds like you can with electric motors. With an EV you can make sure the motor is constantly slipping the wheel, like a kind of reverse traction control. This is not possible with ICE.
“Combine this with the active positioning of the wheel and then…wow. You can drive maneuvres that weren’t previously possible.”
NOTE: This story first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
