Lamborghini CEO says lack of engine noise helped scrap its EV plans

Lamborghini shelved plans for the Lanzador late last year after consumer interest in high-priced EVs flattened to "close to zero," CEO Stephan Winkelmann said. He added that an EV's silent powertrain lacked the 'emotional connection' owners expect and that engine noise is often a selling point for luxury sports cars.

The Lanzador, a high-riding two-door coupe first announced in 2023 and scheduled to hit dealerships by 2029, will now come to market as a plug-in hybrid instead, Winkelmann said. The change marks a recalibration for the Volkswagen-owned brand. In 2021 Lamborghini laid out an electrification road map that envisioned a fully-electric car in the "second half of the decade" and said it wanted to cut its 2024 carbon emissions in half.

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