Lamborghini's CTO Explains Why Fake Engine Sounds Will Never Work

A podcast conversation between Rouven Mohr and composer Charles Deneen reveals the brand's acoustic philosophy.

The third episode of Beyond: A Lamborghini Podcast pairs CTO Rouven Mohr with composer and audio director Charles Deneen, whose credits include The Fast and the Furious franchise, to confront what happens to the Lamborghini roar when the V12 shares its stage with electric motors.

Framing the stakes behind the microphone

Lamborghini says transitioning from naturally aspirated to turbocharged engines, then to hybrid powertrains, and eventually to fully electric cars, all without losing the brand's sound DNA, represents a major engineering discipline in its own right.

Mohr's case against synthesized engine noise

Lamborghini's CTO argues that artificial sounds decouple the auditory impression from the car's actual physical reaction, creating a mismatch between what the driver hears and what the chassis is doing — a disconnect he calls fatal for a brand that sells the feeling of being plugged directly into a machine.

The Revuelto's answer: amplify the contrast

Rather than softening the V12 to blend with the electric powertrain, Lamborghini chose to make the Revuelto's combustion mode uncompromising and its electric mode genuinely silent — a strategy so committed to raw acoustics that aftermarket exhaust developers are already working on systems to liberate even more of the V12's voice.

Defining the brand beyond engine noise

Mohr's team used noise cancellation to measure driver responses and found that Lamborghini's driving DNA extends well beyond sound to include the shape of acceleration, steering-wheel vibrations, and front-axle responsiveness — research he says proves a Lamborghini can still feel like a Lamborghini even with the sound of today eliminated.