Lamborghini CEO talks new hybrid supercar and ‘YOLO’ effect that boosts sales

CARMEL, Calif. — Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann is likely to remain one of the most influential leaders in the Italian luxury automaker’s history.

From launching the Gallardo supercar in the early 2000s, to bringing the Urus SUV to market some 15 years later to incredible sales success, a lot has happened over the years, during his two tenures at Lamborghini.

Now with the beloved Huracán supercar headed out to pasture, Winkelmann’s latest offering is the Temerario, the Huracán’s successor.

While the Temerario lacks the naturally aspirated V-10 engine used in the Huracán, Winkelmann believes its evolution will still excite Lamborghini fans. Lamborghini’s new twin-turbo V8 still revs to a staggering 10,000 rpm. That combines with three electric motors—two on the front axle and one between the engine and transmission—to deliver 907 horsepower, sending the Temerario from zero to 60 mph in just 2.7 seconds and on to a top speed of 212 mph.

“You have to perform better than the previous generation, and that includes the handling behavior, so the weight-to-power ratio is crucial for us to succeed, because that’s one of the characteristics of Lamborghini,” Winkelmann told Yahoo Finance from the Lamborghini stand at the Quail event, held during Monterey Car Week.

Winkelmann believes the hybrid powertrain’s ability to reduce emissions through the battery system, and improve performance using electric motors, is “the right direction for Lamborghini.”

It’s the recipe the company is following with the success of the Revuelto hypercar, the bigger brother of the Temerario that’s powered by a V12 hybrid engine. The Revuelto has been sold out for at least one year of production, if not longer.

While the launch of a new, cutting-edge supercar is a major success for the automaker, it comes at a time when luxury consumers are struggling. Concerns about slowing growth in the United States and abroad, global tensions, and high interest rates are weighing on the market.

Winkelmann acknowledges these concerns, but for his clients in particular, they still buy.

“Since the end of Covid, we have this YOLO effect – you only live once – and despite the global crisis that we have here, or the crisis that we have here and there, in the markets, the geopolitical changes, we are still strong, people still want to buy these cars, and we have a long waiting time,” he said when asked about buyers.

He said that while he was optimistic, sales data showed that the Italian company – part of the Volkswagen (VWAGY) empire – was one of the few successes in the luxury car world.

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One doesn’t have to follow in the footsteps of a venerable rival like Ferrari if one can build on its organic passion through the bold design of its supercars like the Timereo, and the cutting-edge powertrains that now rely on hybrid power in all its vehicles. Winkelmann has proven since the launch of the Gallardo some 20 years ago that this is indeed possible.

“This year is going perfectly, we have set another record in the first six months of 2024,” Winkelmann points out. “So if things continue like this, 2024 will be a very good year for Lamborghini.”

Can the YOLO effect last all year and beyond? Winkelmann and Lamborghini think they’ve found the right recipe.

Pras Subramanian is a Yahoo Finance reporter covering the auto industry. You can follow him on twitter And on Instagram.