Lamborghini Kills Its First EV Because There Are ‘Close To Zero’ Buyers For EV Sports Cars

The year 2026 will be a time of reckoning for electric sports cars, especially within the Volkswagen Group. As the company reportedly tries to cut costs by a massive 20 percent after its EV strategy mostly flopped, many brands within the group are rethinking their priorities. Seeing as how no manufacturer can prove to the world that demand for electric sports cars actually exists, those will likely be the first to go.

Porsche has received the most press coverage on this subject thus far, having reportedly canceled its all-electric 718 after at least seven years of development, telling engineers to redesign the car to fit an internal combustion engine instead. In September, Bentley, another VW Group subsidiary, delayed its EV transition plans to 2035 amid a “dip in demand.”

Now, a similar thing is happening at Lamborghini. Company CEO Stephan Winkelmann told The Sunday Times the company has stopped development of its first electric production car for the same reason every other high-end car manufacturer has either avoided or stopped producing performance EVs: Because there isn’t a market for them.

Mincing No Words

In speaking with The Times, Winkelmann confirmed an earlier rumor suggesting that its upcoming EV, which was initially revealed in concept form under the name Lanzador in 2023, would be converted into a plug-in hybrid instead of a pure electric vehicle after a year of internal discussion and market analysis.

Chief executive Stephan Winkelmann said EV development risked becoming “an expensive hobby” for the Italian company as he confirmed that a forthcoming all-electric car, named in 2023 as the Lanzador, will no longer join its line-up.

Instead it will be replaced by a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), meaning that by 2030, the company’s range will all be PHEV, said Winkelmann. Lamborghini would continue to build internal combustion engines (ICE) “for as long as possible”, he added.

That last part is crucial. People who buy supercars want something sincerely analog, with noises, vibrations, and smells that an EV can’t replicate, no matter how hard companies like Hyundai try with their synthesized gear shifts and piped-in internal combustion engine noises.

Even with this stuff, Lamborghini buyers are, obviously, not convinced. If I were paying half a million dollars for a supercar, I wouldn’t be either. I’d want the real thing, not some replicated experience—even if that experience was high-quality.

Winkelmann told The Sunday Times that the “acceptance curve” for battery-powered cars in Lamborghini’s target market was flattening and “close to zero”.

The company’s customers, he said, valued the “emotional experience” of their Lamborghinis — whether design, raw performance or, crucially, the distinctive sound and feedback of the internal combustion engine.

“EVs, in their current form, struggle to deliver this specific emotional connection,” he explained, confirming that noise — or lack of it, remains a crucial selling point in the luxury car market.

Instead, Lamborghini plans to stick to its hybrid-only strategy for the foreseeable future, according to Winkelmann. As of 2024, its entire lineup, which consists of the Temerario, the Revuelto, and the Urus SUV, uses battery assistance. At their hearts, however, are fire-breathing internal combustion engines (twin-turbo V8s for the Urus and the Temerario, and a V12 for the Revuelto).

That approach has worked out well for the brand. It managed to avoid the 2025 sales dip seen by most of the Volkswagen Group last year, selling a record 10,747 cars, despite tariffs slicing into North American sales.

There’s Still Hope For At Least One VW Group Sports Car

Winkelmann told The Times a fully electric Lamborghini wasn’t truly out of the picture, saying that it’d come to market “when the time is right.” But not every VW Group subsidiary has the same attitude.

Audi revealed a concept for a new TT-shaped sports car last year, with plans to put it into production. The company later confirmed that the car would, in fact, be a fully electric vehicle, despite all of the reasons above why that probably wasn’t a good idea.

Then, just a few days ago, CEO Gernot Döllner reportedly sent an internal letter to employees saying the project was still a go, despite the rumors about the electric Porsche 718’s cancellation (the Audi is widely believed to be using the same architecture as the Porsche).

So if you want a new electric sports car from the VW Group, you’re not totally out of luck. And considering just how low the demand for such vehicles is, you probably won’t have a hard time getting your hands on one.

Top graphic image: Lamborghini