Lamborghini is transitioning to an electrified future, debuting its first V12 plug-in hybrid electric supercar called the Revuelto to the Canada market in Woodbridge, Ont., about 30 kilometres northwest of Toronto, last week.
“We’re writing a new chapter in our history,” said Andrea Baldi, CEO of Automobili Lamborghini Americas ahead of the Canadian debut. “It’s also one of the pieces of the puzzle that we are composing that will lead us in 2025 to have reduced by at least 50 per cent emissions of CO2. By the end of the decade, we will have a car that is fully electric,” he added.
Powering the Revuelto is a new mid-engine 6.5-litre V12 mated to an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission and three electric motors. Two of the electric motors are mounted to the front axle, powering each front wheel; while the third, positioned above the transmission, can power the rear wheels. Together, the V12 and electric motors produce 1,001 horsepower and can launch this two-door coupe from zero to 100 kilometres an hour in only 2.5 seconds en route to a top speed of 350 kilometres per hour.
“Electrification is not reducing performance. It is not reducing fun. It is adding performance and it reduces emissions. It is even more attractive than the Aventador,” said Baldi.
Nowadays, it is rare to see a V12 engine on the market. “This is a naturally-aspirated V12 engine – that is the heart of the car. We wanted to find a way to reduce emissions by improving performance,” he said. “Because electric engines and batteries normally add weight, we needed to offset the increase of weight to keep the weight-to-power ratio the highest as possible – this is where the super sports car is succeeding.”
But the supercar doesn’t offer much electric range – only 10 kilometres. But according to Baldi, customers aren’t interested in that. And besides, the 10 kilometres will “allow you to drive out of your yard without making a noise and waking up all your neighbours,” he laughed. Charging the vehicle is simple – plug it into a 240 volt or Level 2 outlet and it will take about 30 minutes to get a full charge. The 3.8-kWh lithium-ion battery pack is mounted below the driver’s elbow in the central tunnel.
The V12 is an iconic symbol of Lamborghini and an important part of the brand’s history, which started 60 years ago with the debut of the 350GT in 1963. The Revuelto’s design is also influenced by other V12 Lamborghini models dating back to the Countach prototype in 1971. The Revuelto looks and shares many similarities in its styling with its past, especially the Aventador it replaces. With a dry weight of 1,772 kg, the Revuelto is 4,947 mm long compared to the Aventador’s 4,797 to 4,943-mm length (depending on the variant). It’s also wider, between 2,033 to 2,266 mm versus the Aventador’s 2,030 to 2,098 mm; while the height is 1,160 mm versus the Aventador’s 1,136 mm.
Approximately 400 exterior colour choices are available on the Revuelto, but the orange colour on the display vehicle is familiar and breathtaking, as are Lamborghini’s trademark scissor doors, beefy wheels, and wedge-shaped body. Aerodynamic features include a deep front splitter and an active rear wing with three positions depending on the driving mode and driving dynamics. Incidentally, there are 13 different driving modes available including three new ones: Recharge, Hybrid, and Performance in addition to Città (city), Strada (street), Sport, and Corsa (track) modes, which are selectable via two rotors on the new race-inspired redesigned steering wheel.
Orange accents carry over inside the vehicle on the dashboard, centre console, and the stitching on the two well-sculpted seats. There is also more space with better head-, shoulder-, and legroom than the Aventador. Like other models, the cockpit resembles a plane with dials, knobs, and buttons everywhere. There is more technology than ever before including an 8.4-inch centre touchscreen and a new 9.1-inch-wide display for the passenger.
Orders for the Revuelto opened a few weeks ago. While officials would not disclose how many would be made, they received an overwhelming number of pre-orders – too many to fill. Now, they will “cherry pick” the lucky customers who will get the first deliveries, which are on track for later this year.
“We don’t go after volumes. Lamborghini goes after smooth growth. We want to see a record every year, but we are not looking into dramatic growth. We are looking into maintaining exclusivity with our product, focusing on the quality,” said Baldi.
“We expect another record year [in 2023]. We are really pushing our production capacity to its limit without doing any big change in Sant’ Agata and without going after volumes per se. At the end of the day, we will have a record in terms of delivery because this is the direction we are going. In the first three months of the year we have over exceeded what we have delivered in the first three months of 2022,” added Baldi.
In Q1 of 2023, there were 2,623 deliveries (84 more units than in 2022), revenue of 728 million Euro and an operating profit of 260 million Euro. And that’s coming off a record year in 2022 – the best year to date with 9,233 deliveries worldwide, revenue of 2.38 billion Euro and an operating profit of 614 million Euro.
The 2024 Lamborghini Revuelto rolls off the line at Lamborghini’s factory in Sant’Agata in Bologna, Italy. But it doesn’t come cheap; it starts at $699,394 CDN, taxes excluded.
