Following the debut of its upcoming Revuelto plug-in hybrid super sports car, Lamborghini takes another step into the electric age, unveiling a concept “ultra GT car” that will eventually become its first fully electric vehicle. Meet the Lamborghini Lanzador.
The Lanzador is long — nearly 197 inches from bumper to bumper — and large, a 2+2 coupe that blends inspiration from the everyday-driveable Urus SUV and the super-sports-coupe-on-stilts Huracan Sterrato. The result is what Lambo is calling an ultra GT that matches the performance of a sports car with the space, comfort and silent operation of a full-size luxury cruiser. Meanwhile, the elevated ride height and liftback configuration add a bit of active lifestyle utility flavor to this multitool of a concept vehicle. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.
Lamborghini Lanzador Concept Debuts at Monterey Car Week 2023
I spoke with Lamborghini’s Design Lead Mitja Borkert, who pointed out the Lanzador’s use of key Lamborghini design elements — the squared-off shoulders and greenhouse, the single sweeping roofline that flows from nose to tail and the cab-forward proportions. The Lanzador’s large size and tall ride height is in some part due to the realities of designing around an electric battery pack and the ultra GT’s mission as a comfortable, luxurious commuter, but even so the automaker was able to create a surprisingly low seating position and, hopefully, a driving experience evocative of the Revuelto.
More than a megawatt
Behind the Lanzador’s genre-bending design is an incredibly flexible and customizable network of performance systems. At the concept’s debut, CEO Stephan Winkelmann hinted that we should expect more than a megawatt (over 1,341 horsepower) output through wheels via a full-electric all-wheel drive system. Lambo CTO Rouven Mohr later told me in an interview that the Lanzador will likely stick with two electric motors — rather than three or more — which the brand’s engineers feel is a sweet spot for power, packaging, weight and driving feel.
Lamborghini’s Mitja Borkert, CTO Rouven Mohr and CEO Stephan Winkelmann unveiled the concept at Monterey Car Week 2023.
Beneath the cabin lives an advanced battery pack that promises high performance and “long range.” Lambo isn’t disclosing range targets or capacity at this point in development, but Mohr says to expect battery tech and chemistry shared with other members of the Volkswagen Group.
Transform and roll out
I was most interested in the Lanzador’s wild aerodynamics. Mohr explains that the mission of the Lanzador as a grand tourer that drivers will live with every day means you can’t just whack a big wing on the back like the Huracan STO, so his engineers went about hiding one of the most advanced active aerodynamics systems I’ve ever seen inside and underneath the EV’s silhouette.
Motorized aerodynamic elements in the bumpers, front splitter and rear diffuser deploy in an instant to increase downforce as necessary. Louvers hidden under the hood draw high-pressure air from the wheel arches to reduce drag. Carbon-fiber strakes rise from either side of the rear skylight to guide air over or through the spoiler integrated into the rear decklid. Even the headlamps feature air guides that flow air over and through even more aerodynamic elements hidden on or under the hood.
Watching the Lanzador change from low-drag cruiser to high-downforce performer — aero bits deploying and the suspension hunkering down — is a bit like watching a Transformer do its thing, but Mohr was most proud of the next generation of Lamborghini’s Integrated Control software.
Active aerodynamic elements, like this integrated spoiler, are hidden throughout the Lanzador’s design.
AI-powered performance
“In the future, the hardware will not be the game changer,” Mohr states. “You need a certain level of hardware, but the game changer is the Integrated Control system, because this defines how the car is reacting. In our first electric car, we go to [software version] 3.0, which means we incorporate all the active systems, including the active aerodynamics, and we have also much more possibilities in the steering of the electronic model and this will allow us to have an outstanding driving behavior.”
Lamborghini envisions that this Integrated Control version 3.0 will also integrate machine learning and artificial intelligence tech to adapt to the driver and the driving conditions, for example, predicting grip based on information gathered from the sensors and tweaking the electric motors’ torque distribution or noticing the driver’s behavior on a long straight stretch of highway and adjusting the aerodynamics and suspension for increased range and comfort. The Lanzador will also see an increased focus on driver aid tech with piloted and automated driving systems slated to make an appearance.
The driving performance and cabin technology will be enhanced by machine learning software.
Inside, the Lanzador’s double-cockpit cabin is framed by a large center console that echoes the Y-shaped motif found in the headlamps. Dual screens rise from the dashboard at startup like the Countach‘s classic pop-up headlamps, presenting the driver with a digital instrument cluster and the front passenger (or co-pilot) with infotainment information. The steering wheel and center console feature unique physical controllers with a sci-fi design. The entire cabin makes use of exotic eco-friendly materials, including recycled carbon fiber suspended in bioresin, sustainably harvested Merino wool and 3D-printed recycled foam. Meanwhile, the flexible second row boasts room for two passengers or outdoor gear like a bike or surfboard beneath the Lanzador’s transparent roof.
The future of Lamborghini
The production version of the Lamborghini Lanzador is slated to arrive in 2028, giving the automaker five years to finalize all of the details. In the meantime, expect a refreshed version of the Urus to arrive within the next year. It’ll be sporting a new plug-in hybrid powertrain for the next few years before also making the jump to full electric with a completely new generation slated to join the Lanzador in 2029.
