Once upon a time, Lamborghini was chaos in sheet metal. The Countach years were loud, wild, and unforgettable—but they were also a financial disaster. By the late 1970s, the Raging Bull was flat on its back, bankrupt and changing owners more often than it built new models. Stability only arrived in the late ’90s, when Volkswagen Group stepped in, put Audi in charge, and gave Sant’Agata the resources to match its ambitions.
Fast-forward to 2024: Lamborghini just set another sales record, delivering 10,687 cars. Business has never been better, and that financial cushion is allowing the company to do something very on-brand—get weird again.
When “Crazy” Is a Business Plan
Federico Foschini, Lamborghini’s head of sales and marketing, recently told Autocar that the brand isn’t slowing down when it comes to niche models. The Huracán Sterrato proved that buyers are hungry for high-riding, dirt-spraying exotics, and a follow-up based on the new Temerario seems inevitable. Foschini hinted at more “crazy” derivatives across the lineup, with the flagship Revuelto a prime candidate. Don’t rule out an off-road Revuelto in the mold of the Sterrato, or stripped-back, rear-drive versions of the mid-engine cars. As he put it: “We are always looking for crazy things in all dimensions.”
The Urus SUV, Lamborghini’s cash-printing machine, looks like the most logical platform for another off-road special. A hardcore ST-X concept has already been shown, though it never reached production. Considering the popularity of adventure-spec SUVs, Lamborghini might finally greenlight something rugged for its best-seller.
The Hybrid Middle Ground
What Lamborghini isn’t ready to do, at least not yet, is go fully electric. The second-generation Urus will stick with a combustion engine paired with a plug-in hybrid system, shelving earlier rumors of an all-electric future. Even the Lanzador—a 2+2 grand tourer originally previewed as a pure EV—will likely land in 2029 as a hybrid, and a year later than initially promised.
For Lamborghini, hybrids aren’t a compromise—they’re survival. Low-volume automakers can’t afford to pump out compliance EVs the way mainstream brands can. Hybridization is the bridge that keeps V-12s and V-10s alive while still passing ever-tighter regulations. And if anyone can make a hybrid sound, feel, and drive like an event, it’s Lamborghini.
The Sky Is the Limit
The Revuelto already has the hardcore Fenomeno, Lamborghini’s most powerful production car to date. The Temerario could spawn both dirt-hungry specials and rear-drive purist editions. The Urus might finally become a true rally-inspired SUV. And the Lanzador, once envisioned as a sterile EV, may arrive with a little more fire in its belly.
Audi might have tamed Lamborghini’s finances, but the Italian wild streak is alive and well. If Foschini’s hints are anything to go by, the next decade will be about more than survival in the hybrid era—it’ll be about proving that “crazy” still sells.
Source: Autocar