We’ve seen electrification and hybridization come to cars from Chinese-made econoboxes to Ford’s workhorse F-150 pickup. Now plug-in power is coming for Lamborghini’s (VOW.DE) latest and greatest — the Revuelto supercar.
Lamborghini has made no secret of its electrification plans — dubbed "Direzione Cor Tauri" — and the release of the Revuelto is a first step. The company will debut its first all-electric car in 2028, the Lanzador EV, a concept revealed (and driven by Yahoo Finance) at Pebble Beach this year. Another EV will follow, likely an SUV, before 2030.
But first things first. The Revuelto will replace the Aventador at the top of the Lamborghini product range, and in a first for Lamborghini as well as the motoring world, the car will feature a plug-in hybrid electric powertrain paired to a naturally aspirated V-12 engine. This means drivers get all the high-revving, sonorous V-12 splendor without the muffling of turbochargers.
The V-12 engine, along with three electric motors (two up front at each wheel, the other positioned by the gearbox), will output an astounding 1,001 horsepower. At the same time the Revuelto will hit 0-60 mph in a scant 2.5 seconds and cut C02 emissions by 30% compared to the outgoing V-12 Aventador. How’s that for efficiency?
From a looks point of view the car is all Lamborghini — but updated. Once again, we have angular, hard edges, and very few curves. It’s fighter jet meets python snake. Perhaps the best vantage point is the rear three-quarter view, where the staggered rear wheels, Countach-like side vents and C-pillar, and outrageous center-mounted dual hexagonal exhaust that mimic jet afterburners are all on display.
Sliding into the cockpit of the Revuelto actually isn't very hard, as the carbon tub used here for the monocoque has a narrow sill allowing for easy entry once you swivel up those iconic scissor doors.
I was able to test the Revuelto out for a couple hours on track, and true to its name (meaning ‘scrambled’ or ‘mixed up’), my brain and body were left in a state of shock and awe. Piloting a car with 1000+ horsepower, all-out (to a degree) on a racetrack is the knife’s edge of exhilarating and terrifying — one small error and you’ve smashed up a $600K+ supercar.
But that’s where the Revuelto says to the driver, “I got this.” The car might be the easiest, or should I say most forgiving, supercar on the road. Paced by a lead car piloted by one Lamborghini’s test drivers, I was told to push hard and take the car within reasonable limits of its performance envelope.
To be honest the car could handle a lot. First off, the dual motors up front: These allowed for true “torque-vectoring,” meaning they operated independently on each wheel and could apply force or stopping power when needed while charging hard into a corner or provide control with an angle of attack when exiting out. Push the car too deep into the corner and the front end can adapt, get the outer edge wheel spinning, and get you right on track. The grip and front-end control was immense.
Likewise, the Revuelto’s rear-wheel steer helps you turn on a dime in slow corners (by turning the opposite direction of the front wheels), thus making the car handle like its wheelbase is half a meter shorter than it actually is. Conversely in high-speed corners the rear wheels turn in the same direction as the front wheels, improving stability when the onboard computers feel it is necessary.
The V-12 engine works hand in hand with these three electric motors, and the driver is almost oblivious to what the system is doing — it just works. Lamborghini has created a 1,000-hp supercar that is totally accessible to most drivers — and one that a professional racer could likely push to the limit at the same time.
Part of how the car’s dynamics work is the battery size is only 3.8 kWh, a small displacement battery that’s basically more of a performance enhancer. The battery is able to discharge a high amount of power quickly but can also recharge itself through re-gen braking quite quickly on a track, so the Revuelto seems to always have "juice" on tap.
That being said, you can go for around six miles (10 km) on electric power alone, so dropping off the kid (singular, as it's a two-seater) or picking up your dry cleaning in town is possible. All jokes aside, this is a big deal for certain places where no combustion engines are allowed, as in some city centers, for example.
Lamborghini has given us a taste of its electric future with the Revuelto. By not going full EV, at least not yet, the Italian automaker is balancing the performance its clientele wants with a slight nod to greener aspirations sometime down the line.
Pras Subramanian is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on Twitter and on Instagram.
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