Automobili Lamborghini SpA has just unveiled their limited edition Sián, their first hybrid production model, albeit a very limited production and instead of using traditional batteries like other hybrid cars, the Lamborghini Sián uses a 48V supercapacitor, but head of design, Mitja Borkert insist the Sián is not a preview of the Aventador successor that was planned to be released in 2020, but we might be admiring a Roadster version of the Sián in the near future.
Back in 2007, when the Reventon was shown as an evolution on the Murciélago, it clearly showed the direction Automobili Lamborghini SpA was taking with the design of the Aventador that was unveiled in 2011, but it seems that way of thinking has changed, and the Aventador successor will be a completely new design, not based on any of the special few-off models we’ve seen so far based on the Aventador, like the Veneno, the Centenario and now the Sián.
What will be taken into the next generation of the Lamborghini flagship is the hybrid setup, but instead of using a supercapacitor like the Sián, the new model will revert to the next generation of batteries, as a supercapacitor was deemed to not be the most interesting solution for an actual, future production model, and while some rumors have mentioned the new Lamborghini flagship to ditch the V12 engine and go for a V8 Twin Turbo setup, this has been denied during an interview at the 2019 IAA, the Lamborghini flagship will keep a V12 engine, but with added electric motors naturally.
In fact, some publications have already mentioned Lamborghini is working on getting the V12 engine to comply with current regulations when it comes to emission standards, so while it may not be the V12 we know and love today, the top of the line Raging Bull will still have this big engine, and with the Sián already delivering 785hp from the engine alone, we expect the Aventador replacement to have a combined, hybrid power output of 900hp or more, with a subsequent SV or Performante version breaking the 1,000hp barrier.
The Aventador successor will not be using a supercapacitor like the Sián because at this time the latter will have a very limited action radius on electric power alone, with the one installed in the Sián they would be able to drive about 5 to 10 km on electric power only, which is way too little for an actual production hybrid, so the upcoming Aventador replacement will surely use Lithium-ion batteries according to Lamborghini’s CTO Maurizio Reggiani.
And right now this technology is already used in a production car from within the VAG Group, the new Porsche Panamera E-Hybrid has a V8 as a plug-in-hybrid/Lithium-ion battery setup, which already delivers 670hp … add the 130hp hybrid part to the Lamborghini V12 engine that puts out 785hp on her own and we end up with a 925hp combined output … even with the added weight of the hybrid system this should deliver some very decent performance and radius, even on electric power alone.
While the Aventador has been introduced back in 2011, we all expected the successor to be shown already, or at least at the 2020 Geneva Motor Show … but lately the factory has been hinting at the fact it might still be a few years before we’ll get a completely new model, 2022 or even 2024 is being mentioned over the last few months, that would mean another two or three years of Aventador production, taking the overall numbers well over the 10,000 units mark (note the Siàn at the IAA has chassis 9082, so over 9,000 Aventador tubs have been made already). At this time we have the Aventador SVJ being built to fulfill the orders and the Aventador SVJ Roadster production getting well underway … but if this model has to survive another two to three years I’m sure we’ll be getting yet more evolutions … one of them being a track-only Aventador SVR that has been talked about lately, but my guess is we’ll be seeing a final edition Aventador soon, perhaps not at the 2020 Geneva show, but by 2021 at the latest.
So what will happen with the Huracan and Urus that are currently selling very well, especially the Huracan EVO and EVO Spyder are amazing cars to drive, and even rival the Huracan Performante on the track … also note the production for the Huracan Performante has been stopped, you can’t order that one anymore, only the EVO and EVO Spyder are available at your local dealership (the Huracan LP580-2 or the RWD isn’t available anymore either I was told) … so there must be something new on the horizon for the V10 range too, the original Huracan was introduced in 2014, with the Performante version shown in 2017, the EVO came out in 2019, but will Lamborghini wait three more years to unleash the more track-oriented version of the EVO, or will they come around sooner, perhaps a Huracan GT, or Huracan STO … Super Trofeo Omologato?
It is too soon to talk about a successor to the Huracan at this time, but it could very well be the V10 engine will be gone when that happens, as the entry-level Lamborghini might get a V8 engine, with a hybrid system naturally, it is safe to say both the Aventador and the Huracan will be replaced by models with hybrid power, that is unavoidable on the car scene of the future.
What about the Urus, at this moment in time, the best selling model in the range? From what we picked up there are two evolutions in the making, for one we’ll be seeing a hybrid version of the Urus very soon, making it the first real production model at Sant’Agata (the Sián is considered a few-off model), and rumor has it Lamborghini is planning a street-legal version of the Urus ST-X Concept, a more powerful edition of the current Urus derived from that track-only model … so a new Urus model might take center stage at the 2020 Geneva Motor Show in March, as the Aventador successor isn’t ready, and it’s too soon to release another Huracan model.
And then there are the even more distant rumors that go around all the time … a fourth model has been talked about in interviews with top-level management at Lamborghini. If the Urus was a success a fourth model might be joining the ranks in Sant’Agata, and this might be a front-engine model, finally that amazing looking Estoque could evolve into a production model after all, a high-end, luxurious GT model made by Lamborghini is the next logical evolution in my eyes, perhaps not a four-door, or not even a four-seater, but a Lamborghini GT 2+2 with the engine up front and more practicality compared to the flagship Aventador or the Huracan … a model like that has been missing from the Lamborghini range for way too long and would be a perfect homage to the heritage of Ferruccio Lamborghini and the original 350GT and 400GT 2+2 models from the Sixties.
Also note the Squadra Corse department has been hinting at entering a Lamborghini in endurance racing, the famous 24h de LeMans being one of them, at this time we have the Huracan Super Trofeo and the successful Huracan GT3, both in their second evolution already, but the lure of LeMans and other endurance racing has been strong, the Huracan GTD has been entered in longer races in the US already, and with success, but Squadra Corse wants to take this further and create a Lamborghini LM model now … so we might be seeing something very low, wide and fast in the near future.
