Lamborghini looks to continue with ICEs beyond 2030

The transition away from internal combustion engines and towards total electrification seems inevitable for a majority of manufacturers, but for Lamborghini the fight isn't over yet.

As the European Union is set to ban the production of ICEs from 2035, a large number of manufacturers have started to electrify their line-ups, including Lamborghini – which plans for its entire model range to become plug-in hybrid by 2024.

However, its move to a fully-electric fleet hasn't yet been confirmed, with CEO Stephan Winkelmann now saying the firm plans to keep going with ICE production beyond 2030 – just five years before the fossil-fuelled powerplant is outlawed.

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In an interview with Welt am Sonntag, Winkelmann said the development fuels could keep ICEs alive, although an all-electric Lamborghini is still in the pipeline.

"One possibility would be to keep the combustion engines alive with synthetic petrol," said Winkelmann.

"After hybridisation, we will wait and see whether it will be possible to offer vehicles with a combustion engine beyond 2030.

"We assume that our customers will accept these [electric] cars – if the promise is kept that the performance of the vehicles is better than that of the previous generation.

"The combination with the electric drive will give our vehicles more power, coupled with a better CO2 balance."

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Should Lamborghini decide to accelerate its plans to introduce an all-electric model, it could borrow the J1 or Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture from its fellow Volkswagen Group brands, Audi and Porsche.

As reported in September 2021, the Italian Government is also pushing the European Union to be more lenient with its ban on ICE production, asking for exemptions to be given to manufacturers such as Lamborghini, Ferrari and Pagani.