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News

Lamborghini Pulls the Plug on Lanzador EV Dream, Eyes Hybrid Salvation Instead

In Sant’Agata Bolognese, where V-12s are treated with the reverence of fine art and downshifts count as musical notes, the idea of building a fully electric Lamborghini was always going to be controversial. Now it’s apparently canceled.

Nearly three years after Lamborghini unveiled the Lanzador concept—a rakish, lifted 2+2 grand tourer meant to preview the brand’s first EV—the company is backing away from the all-electric fantasy. Internally, executives have reportedly come to view the project as an “expensive hobby,” and not the kind that ends with record profits and champagne for shareholders.

When the Lanzador debuted in 2023, it was billed as the dawn of a new era. Production was penciled in for 2028. The message was clear: even raging bulls would eventually graze on electrons. But three years of market analysis, customer feedback, and cold financial math have reshaped that narrative. Lamborghini’s clientele—those who treat naturally aspirated fury as a birthright—have shown what insiders describe as near-total resistance to a model without a combustion engine.

According to CEO Stephan Winkelmann, Lamborghini buyers insist on an “emotional connection” that, in their view, EVs struggle to provide. Translation: silence is not golden when you’re spending seven figures on a supercar. The bark, the vibration, the mechanical violence—that’s the product.

So rather than push forward with a battery-powered flagship that risks alienating its core audience (and torching margins in the process), Lamborghini appears ready to pivot. If the Lanzador makes it to production at all, expect a plug-in hybrid powertrain—likely centered around a V-8 or even a V-12—pairing internal combustion with electric assistance. In other words, electrons as enhancers, not replacements.

That approach mirrors the broader strategy inside the Volkswagen Group ecosystem. Under the Audi umbrella, Lamborghini must juggle two realities: tightening EU emissions regulations and a customer base that still wants explosions in the cylinders. Plug-in hybrids offer a convenient compromise. They keep the accountants in the green and the tachometer needle happily swinging past 8000 rpm.

The next-generation Lamborghini Urus is also expected to follow that formula before the decade closes, blending a combustion engine with electric assistance to satisfy regulators without muting the brand’s personality. It’s a pragmatic move in a segment where performance SUVs have become profit centers as much as halo cars.

For now, the all-electric Lamborghini remains a concept—literally. The Lanzador may have previewed a possible future, but the present reality is more conservative. In Sant’Agata, they’ve apparently decided that building a silent bull isn’t bold. It’s just bad business.

And if Lamborghini’s customers have anything to say about it, the future will still sound like thunder.

Source: Lamborghini

News

Order Books Reopen: Alfa’s 520-HP Quadrifoglios Are Back

Alfa Romeo isn’t ready to let its loudest, angriest sedans and SUVs slip quietly into the night. Instead, it’s doubling down.

After hinting at the move during the 2026 Brussels Motor Show, Alfa has officially reopened European orders for the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio and Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio starting in early March. More than a stopgap, this is part of a broader strategy to extend production of the current Giulia and Stelvio lineup through 2027—an olive branch to enthusiasts who weren’t ready to say goodbye to one of the last great internal-combustion Alfas.

The Cloverleaf That Refuses to Wilt

The Quadrifoglio badge isn’t marketing fluff; it’s a talisman. The four-leaf clover first appeared in 1923 when Ugo Sivocci painted it on his Alfa Romeo RL before winning the Targa Florio. A century later, it still signifies the sharpest edge of Alfa’s performance ambitions.

In modern form, that means a 520-hp twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V-6 under the hood of both cars. It’s an engine that feels delightfully anachronistic in today’s hybrid-happy world—snappy throttle response, a midrange punch that borders on violent, and a redline that begs to be chased. In the Giulia, it drives the rear wheels in proper sport-sedan tradition. In the Stelvio, it pairs with Alfa’s Q4 all-wheel-drive system to make a 500-plus-horsepower SUV feel improbably eager.

The numbers matter. But the texture matters more.

Engineering with an Italian Accent

Both Quadrifoglios were engineered with the kind of obsessive weight-saving that would make a track-day regular nod approvingly. Aluminum for the engine. Carbon fiber for the driveshaft, hood, side skirts, spoiler, interior trim panels—even the dashboard. The goal is simple: keep the structure stiff, the mass low, and the weight distribution near ideal.

The Giulia’s active carbon-fiber front splitter adjusts airflow under the car to increase stability at speed. It’s not just aero theater; it’s functional, the kind of detail you feel through the steering wheel at triple-digit autobahn velocities.

And then there’s the exhaust. The available Akrapovič system doesn’t just make noise—it broadcasts intent. Deep at idle, metallic under load, and feral at full throttle, it’s a reminder that performance cars are meant to be heard as much as driven.

Backing up all that muscle is a mechanical limited-slip differential. In an era where brake-based torque vectoring often masquerades as sophistication, Alfa’s hardware-first approach is refreshingly analog. Power delivery is clean, traction feels natural, and corner exits are dispatched with a precision that makes you wonder why more manufacturers abandoned this formula.

Still a Driver’s Car—Yes, Even the SUV

The Giulia Quadrifoglio remains one of the most communicative sports sedans of its generation. The steering is quick and alive. The chassis feels balanced and alert. Every input—throttle, brake, steering—returns immediate feedback. It’s a car that seems to shrink around you the harder you push it.

The Stelvio Quadrifoglio, meanwhile, continues to defy physics with impressive conviction. At 520 horsepower, it has the straight-line speed to embarrass dedicated sports cars, yet it manages to corner with composure that belies its ride height. The Q4 system apportions torque with subtlety, preserving much of the rear-drive feel enthusiasts crave.

Inside, both cars lean into their motorsport heritage. Available “Racing Sparco” seats combine leather and Alcantara with exposed carbon-fiber shells, gripping you tightly without crossing into punishment. Burnished five-hole wheels—19 inches on the Giulia, 21 on the Stelvio—frame anodized gray brake calipers. Paint choices like Rosso Etna, Verde Montreal, and Blu Misano remind you that subtlety was never the point.

A Stay of Execution

Reopening orders isn’t just a business decision; it’s a cultural one. As the industry pivots toward electrification, the Quadrifoglio twins stand as unapologetic reminders of Alfa Romeo’s combustion-fueled DNA. They represent a philosophy centered on balance, mechanical purity, and emotional engagement.

Extending production to 2027 gives enthusiasts a few more years to experience that formula the old-fashioned way: six cylinders, two turbos, rear-biased dynamics, and a four-leaf clover on the fender.

In a market increasingly defined by silent acceleration and digital interfaces, the Giulia and Stelvio Quadrifoglio still speak fluent gasoline. And for now, at least, Alfa Romeo is letting them keep talking.

Source: Alfa Romeo

News

Even Bentley’s Cargo Jets Are Going Green Now

Bentley has never been shy about excess. Twelve cylinders, mirror-finish walnut, enough cowhide to upholster a gentlemen’s club. But in 2026, excess comes with an asterisk—and a carbon calculation. So while the brand from Bentley Motors is still perfectly happy to airfreight your six-figure grand tourer across continents at a moment’s notice, it now plans to do so on something a little less Jurassic than conventional jet fuel.

The company announced it will use Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) for all customer car airfreight movements worldwide, effective immediately. It’s a headline that sounds bureaucratic until you remember what’s actually happening: when a customer in, say, Dubai or Los Angeles needs their Continental or Bentayga delivered yesterday, that car often boards a cargo jet. And cargo jets, as physics relentlessly reminds us, burn a lot of fuel.

Bentley insists airfreight remains the exception, not the rule. Sea freight is still the default, because container ships sip fuel compared with aircraft guzzling it at 35,000 feet. But in the rare cases when time zones and client expectations collide, the brand says those flights will now run on ISCC-certified SAF—an alternative fuel derived from renewable or waste-based sources that can be pumped into existing aircraft without modification. No new engines. No sci-fi hardware. Just a different cocktail in the tank.

The important bit isn’t that it works—it does—but that it meaningfully cuts lifecycle emissions. Depending on feedstock and production method, SAF can reduce lifecycle CO₂e emissions by up to 70 to 95 percent compared with conventional jet fuel. That’s not greenwashing math; it’s independently verified well-to-wheel accounting, the kind sustainability departments love and engineers respect.

According to Aimee Kelly, Bentley’s Head of Sustainability, the shift reflects “measurable, evidence-based steps” to reduce emissions where flying remains unavoidable. Translation: if you must ship a two-and-a-half-ton luxury coupe by air, at least make the jet fuel count for something.

Bentley says it has already transported customer cars using SAF, recording substantial CO₂e reductions compared with traditional aviation fuel. At present, the coverage applies to all customer car airfreight movements, and the company is exploring whether SAF can be expanded across additional logistics routes that require air transport.

This isn’t an isolated PR flourish. It slots into Bentley’s broader Beyond100+ strategy—its long-term roadmap to transform the company into a leader in sustainable luxury mobility. Beyond100+ aims to decarbonize operations and the value chain while preserving what Bentley considers non-negotiable: craftsmanship, performance, and the sort of quiet authority that comes from building cars in Crewe for over a century.

If this sounds like a strange juxtaposition—private jets and planet-saving ambitions—you’re not wrong. Luxury and sustainability have historically been uneasy roommates. But the modern ultra-luxury customer expects both: speed and conscience, indulgence and accountability.

There’s also a pragmatic undertone here. Airfreight produces significantly higher emissions than sea transport. That’s a hard truth. So rather than pretending urgency doesn’t exist in global markets, Bentley is targeting the emissions intensity of the flight itself. It’s a surgical move: decarbonize the outliers while continuing to lean on lower-impact shipping where possible.

For a brand built on W-12 engines and two-tone paintwork, this is a different kind of engineering challenge. Not horsepower per liter, but carbon per kilometer. Not 0–60 times, but well-to-wheel emissions curves.

Will Sustainable Aviation Fuel single-handedly absolve the environmental footprint of shipping a 5000-pound luxury car by air? Of course not. But in a world where logistics is often the invisible giant in a product’s carbon story, it’s a meaningful lever.

And if Bentley is serious about redefining sustainable luxury, the real work isn’t just in electrifying the lineup—it’s in rethinking everything that happens before the key fob ever lands in a customer’s hand.

Source: Bentley