Lamborghini will use petrol engines for as long as it can as part of its unique selling point in delivering an emotive driving experience, according to its technical boss.
While Ferrari is preparing to unveil its first electric vehicle (EV) in October 2025, Lamborghini won’t have an EV of its own until the arrival of a four-seat showroom version of the Lanzador concept – which has been delayed to 2030.
Even then, Lamborghini is not planning to ditch combustion power for an electric-only future, even if it’s seemingly inevitable.
Speaking to media including CarExpert, the Lamborghini’s chief technical officer, Rouven Mohr, said the company’s cars are not about raw numbers, but instead an emotional experience – and that’s why petrol power will remain.
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Pictured: Lamborghini Temerario
“If you speak about the future of combustion for sure, for us, we are aiming to continue as long as possible,” Mr Mohr said.
“This is clear not because – you know, sometimes some colleagues say, ‘ah, it’s not so much about the old world’ – [but because] we still think that we have a lot of ideas to transport, let me say, the combustion future.”
Mohr was speaking during a technical briefing on the 2026 Lamborghini Temerario, which is powered by hybrid powertrain which teams a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 petrol engine with three axial-flux electric motors.
The Temerario follows the Lamborghini Revuelto V12 supercar in going hybrid.
The Temerario’s 588kW/630Nm V8 engine spins to an emphatic 10,000rpm, significantly higher than the V10 engine in the car it replaces, the Lamborghini Huracan.
The Huracan – along with its Audi R8 twin which has since been dropped – used a naturally-aspirated 470kW/565Nm 5.2-litre V10 petrol engine with a rev limit of 8800rpm in its most potent spec.
The Temerario’s hybrid system makes a total of 677kW between the petrol engine and its electric motors, channelled through in-house developed eight-speed dual-clutch transmission and all-wheel drive.
Performance claims include a 2.7-second 0-100km/h dash, a 343km/h top speed and the ability to pull up from 100km/h to zero in only 32 metres (0.5m more than the Huracan) thanks to its carbon-ceramic brakes.
It’s faster and lighter than its predecessor despite the hybrid system, with the Temerario’s 1690kg dry weight, undercutting the Huracan Tecnica’s 1379kg.
An electric version would likely be heavier – but faster accelerating again.
Yet, Mohr said internal combustion was part of the theatre of the Lamborghini brand, especially against a new wave of conventional electric passenger cars with supercar-like acceleration figures.
“For sure, we have to differentiate if you speak about automobiles in general,” Mohr added. “I’m speaking [more] about the emotional perception in our segment.
“In our segment, we are even, we are the pinnacle of the emotions. The other brands that say they want to be the pinnacle in the lap time, they want to be the pinnacle in motorsport and brand heritage.
“We are the pinnacle in emotion – that’s what we’re aiming to be. You know, therefore for us, it’s fundamental that we try to continue [internal combustion power].”
MORE: Lamborghini Temerario says farewell V10, hello twin-turbo V8 PHEV
