CARMEL, Calif. — Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann will likely go down as one of the most influential minds in the history of the Italian luxury automaker.
From the launch of the Gallardo super sports car in the early 2000s to the launch of the Urus SUV around 15 years later and its resounding sales success, a lot has happened during his two stints at Lamborghini.
Now that the popular Huracán super sports car is being retired, Winkelmann is launching the Temerario, the successor to the Huracán.
Although the Temerario lacks the popular naturally aspirated V10 engine that powered the Huracán, Winkelmann believes its evolution will still ignite the passion of Lamborghini fans. The new Lambo’s twin-turbo V8 engine still revs to an astonishing 10,000 rpm. Combined with three electric motors – two on the front axle, one between the engine and transmission – it delivers 907 hp and accelerates the Temerario from 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.7 seconds and on to a top speed of 340 km/h.
“Performance has to increase compared to the previous generation, and that includes drivability. So power-to-weight ratio is paramount to our success because that’s one of Lamborghini’s specialties,” Winkelmann told Yahoo Finance from the Lamborghini booth at the Quail event held during Monterey Car Week.
Winkelmann is convinced that the hybrid drive’s ability to reduce emissions through its battery system and improve performance with its electric motors is “the right path for Lamborghini.”
The company is pursuing this recipe with the success of the Revuelto hypercar, the big brother of the Temerario, which has a V12 hybrid drive. The Revuelto is sold out for at least the next year of production, if not longer.
The launch of a brand new, state-of-the-art supercar is a major achievement for the automaker, but the luxury consumer faces several obstacles at the same time. Concerns about an economic slowdown in the US and abroad, global tensions and high interest rates are taking their toll.
Winkelmann is aware of these concerns, but his particular clientele buys anyway.
“Since the end of the Covid pandemic, we have had this ‘YOLO’ effect – you only live once – and despite the global crisis we have here or there, in the markets and the changing geopolitics, we are still going strong and people still want to buy these cars and we have long waiting times,” he said when asked about his buyers.
Although he is keeping his fingers crossed, he said, sales figures show that the Italian company – part of the Volkswagen empire (VWAGY) – is one of the few successes in the world of luxury cars.
There’s no need to follow in the footsteps of a famous rival like Ferrari when you can build your own passion through bold design for supercars like the Temerario and cutting-edge powertrains that now include hybrid powertrains in all vehicles. Winkelmann has shown since the release of the Gallardo some 20 years ago that this is indeed possible.
“This year is going perfectly, we had another record result in the first six months of 2024,” notes Winklemann. “So if things continue like this, 2024 will be a very good year for Lamborghini.”
Can the YOLO effect last all year round and beyond? Winkelmann and Lamborghini believe they have found the right recipe for it.
Pras Subramanian is a reporter for Yahoo Finance and covers the automotive industry. You can follow him on Þjórsárdalur and further Instagram.
