Lamborghini looks to retain petrol power beyond 2030

Italian supercar specialist Lamborghini has indicated plans to offer cars powered in some capacity by petrol beyond 2030 – where emissions regulations allow – with the aid of hybrid technology and, possibly, synthetic fuels.

Speaking to German newspaper Welt am Sonntag (via Reuters), Lamborghini CEO Stephen Winkelmann indicated the company's plan to retain petrol-powered – but likely hybrid-assisted – supercars after 2030, where Europe's stringent emissions regulations allow.

"After hybridisation, we will wait to see whether it will be possible to offer vehicles with an internal combustion engine beyond 2030. One possibility would be to keep combustion engine vehicles alive via synthetic fuels," the executive told the publication.

Lamborghini's current plans will see it switch its entire line-up to hybrid power by 2025, starting with the V12-engined Aventador's plug-in hybrid replacement in 2023, with the smaller Huracan's successor and an updated version of the current Urus SUV to follow in 2024.

The Italian car maker will launch its first electric car in 2028, Winkelmann confirmed to Autocar in recent weeks, expected to be a four-seat vehicle with an increased ride height, though it's not certain if it will feature two or four doors.

Lamborghini's reluctance to switch to electric cars contrasts the trends seen within the broader automotive industry, as by 2030 Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Alfa Romeo, Jaguar and Lotus all plan to sell fully-electric cars only – with Aston Martin, Audi and other luxury brands close behind.

However, the Raging Bull brand is not the only supercar brand clinging to petrol engines, joining the likes of Italy's Ferrari and the UK's McLaren – with the Italian government even lobbying the European Union to exclude its supercar makers from the 2035 combustion-engined new car ban.

Synthetic fuel – petrol produced using a low-emissions, wind-powered process – has been identified as a way to keep past, present and future petrol-engined cars alive, with Porsche a key proponent of the technology.

Winkelmann's comments on the petrol-powered Lamborghini's future beyond 2030 follows those from Lamborghini chief technical officer Maurizio Reggiani to Australian media last year, confirming combustion-engined supercars from the firm are safe until the end of the decade.

"What I can tell you is that this decade, until 2030, you will continue to hear the sound and the voice of our [petrol] engine, with an electric [motor] coupled with them."