Lamborghini has launched its first-ever hybrid super sports car in Hong Kong and it is rumoured to be as – if not more – popular than the Aventador. With units sold out until 2025, this new hybrid HPEV is set to turn heads when it hits the roads. Hill Choi Lee finds out more in a sit down with Francesco Scardaoni, region director of Automobili Lamborghini Asia Pacific
Envision returning home late or leaving house early from the compact spaces that are so unique to Hong Kong. Sounds travel and there is no ignoring a powerful supercar revving through. Then imagine that the sleek four-wheel machinery you drive comes with “stealth” mode. Suddenly, you are no longer that rich high-flyer from Penthouse A, but a rich congenial high-flyer from Penthouse A. This is the absolute least Lamborghini can promise its clientele with the introduction of the all-new hybrid high-performance electric vehicle (HPEV), the Revuelto.
“Our life cycle for the previous car was over,” says Francesco Scardaoni, region director of Automobili Lamborghini Asia Pacific, referring to the iconic Lamborghini Aventador. It has been hailed as the ultimate rival to Aston Martin DBS Superleggera and Ferrari 812 Superfast, all of which are members of the exclusive V12 road car club.
The launch of the Revuelto, the carmaker’s first super sports V12 hybrid HPEV, is no small feat. As 2023 marks the brand’s 60th anniversary, it was decided that the time to hail in a new era, one of electrification. “It is important to set a new chapter from the flagship of our product lines in the V12, and the Revuelto was the right car to start it with,” continues Scardaoni.
“During the special year of 2023 – which is the 60th anniversary of the company – so many factors we had to combine together. It gave us the idea to say ‘okay, this is the year that we need to launch this particular car that will set the new history of Lamborghini’.”
The Revuelto premiered in Hong Kong earlier in August as one of the first markets targeted by Lamborghini as they see the region as “one of the most mature supercar markets […] with a unique supercar culture”.
This is the brand’s first hybrid car and to bring this to fruition, the Lamborghini team had to redefine the role of the design of this automobile. “We created the unexpected – and in this case – we created the first high-performance electrified vehicle, not only in a hybrid system but something pretty unique in terms of powertrain,” says the region director. “So [we paid close attention to] the combination of the internal combustion engine and plug-in hybrid.”
The electric components are rather unique in terms of their architecture. The two frontal electric motors are oil-cooled axial flux units with a weight-to-power ratio that is 18.5kg per 110kW unit. This is enough to power the front wheels in which a torque vectoring function, optimised driving dynamics and recuperation of energy under braking are all achieved.
“These are pretty unique features of Lamborghini because having the two motors on the front axle allows us to move the torque in an active way in order to do the torque vectoring for stabilising the car,” Scardaoni adds. “Other manufacturers in order to do that they break one wheel to shift the torque from one wheel to another, but breaking one wheel means losing power. So we don’t use the brake to shift the torque but we shift the power when we move the power to a specific wheel.”
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One thing to keep in mind is that even though this is a four-wheel drive, state-of-the-art vehicle, the Revuelto will shift to front-wheel drive only to further optimise energy consumption when in electric mode. Electric drive to the rear axle can be activated on demand.
Going silent and electric may still be a somewhat alien concept for the masses, but Lamborghini made sure that the driving experience doesn’t diminish. “Even without the sound of the engine on, you will still have an amazing feeling of driving the car,” reassures Scardaoni. “With the Revuelto, it even creates a new dimension of driving.”
Having the car ready to celebrate their 60th anniversary is no small feat, especially when the vision is to create a supercar that is not just a copy-paste “Aventador 2.0” but a whole different beast altogether.
Scardaoni points out, “The first challenge was to design a car that was better than the Aventador which existed since 2011. It was a real benchmark for any manufacturer, or in other words, it was a benchmark in terms of design technology.” To do so, they had to redefine the rules of supercar automotives.
“Creating the successor of the Aventador was really a different challenge for the designers, but also from an engineering point of view and a technical point of view, considering that we had to release a car that had to embrace the new world coming. This was, I would say, the most challenging part: to create something better than the car before and in a new way.”
Hong Kong typically is highly receptive to novel products and designs, and one feature of the Revuelto that will capture the attention of its citizens is the car’s carbon fibre component.
Produced via artisan craftsmanship in the Sant’Agata Bolognese factory, carbon fibre used on the Revuelto is the principal structural element which is not only used in the mono-fuselage and frame but also in many other elements of its bodywork. Because of the V12 engine power coupled with this sturdy lightweight material that is extensively applied throughout the new car, they contribute to a stellar weight-to-power ratio in any car in Lamborghini history.
Additionally, Hong Kong customers will also appreciate the extensive personalisation service that comes with this new hybrid HPEV, especially in the colour packing. “Hong Kong has always been a ‘special colour market’,” Scardaoni says.
If the initial order book is to be believed, they may have very well achieved this. The Revuelto is sold out through 2025 and the feedback received on this new hybrid brilliance has been more than satisfactory.
“Of course when you design a new car, it’s important to be consistent with the DNA [of the brand]. It is important to design a car keeping in mind what the requirements are of our customers.” What that is in this instance is the V12 engine. And if it is a V12 motor they want, they were going to make sure that in its hybrid plug-in form, it was going to perform at the same level as the ones that came before.
After all, the hybridisation of their products is what is in the pipeline at Lamborghini going forward.“With the introduction of the Revuelto, all of our product lines will be hybridising,” Scardaoni reveals. By 2025, all Lamborghinis will be hybridised. “Our strategy is also to have a fourth model in 2028 that will be the first pure electric vehicle with a different body type that is not yet on the market. It will come in an all-new innovative design.”
If hybridising all their upcoming vehicles and bringing out an all-electric supercar in five years’ time sounds like an over-ambitious plan, Scardaoni doesn’t miss a beat. “We can do it,” he reassures. “We are a brand made of speed.”
