Lamborghini puts hybrid development ahead of a manual return

Hybrid development takes priority

Lamborghini is prioritising further development of its hybrid supercars over a return to manual transmissions. Temerario product line director Paolo Racchetti told CarExpert that some customers still ask for a manual, but said the company’s present target is to advance its new hybrid architecture. His comments describe a current product direction, not a permanent undertaking to rule out a manual. ¹

That position is consistent with an earlier account from Robb Report. In July, the publication reported comments made by Lamborghini chief marketing and sales officer Federico Foschini to Road & Track at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Foschini said there were no current plans for a transmission like the manual-style system in Ferrari’s 12Cilindri Manuale. Robb Report said Lamborghini was instead concentrating on hybridisation and automatic gearboxes operated with steering-wheel paddles. ²

What Lamborghini is developing instead

CarExpert reports that Lamborghini has introduced plug-in hybrid versions of both its Revuelto and Temerario supercars and has moved the Urus SUV to plug-in hybrid power. It places that transition within Direzione Cor Tauri, the electrification and operational decarbonisation roadmap Lamborghini first outlined in 2021. The company’s stated goal is to reduce enterprise emissions by 40 per cent per car by 2030; that is a target, not an achieved reduction. ¹

Racchetti gave a more detailed explanation of the Temerario’s direction in a separate CarExpert interview carried by PerthNow. He said acceleration alone does not define a modern supercar and described the hybrid system as a way to develop performance, drivability and driving character. The Temerario combines a 4.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V8 with three electric motors for a reported combined output of 677kW. Lamborghini claims a 0–100km/h time of 2.7 seconds. ³

According to that account, the Temerario’s two front electric motors can vary torque independently between the front wheels, influencing how the car turns as well as adding power. Its configurable systems offer 13 drive configurations, including a three-level Drift mode. Racchetti said a central controller coordinates the engine, gearbox, motors, damping and brakes. Those features help explain what Lamborghini means by continuing to develop the architecture rather than revisiting a conventional manual gearbox. ³

The wider plug-in hybrid range

The hybrid focus also extends beyond Lamborghini’s two-seat models. CNBC reported in July that the company had revealed the plug-in hybrid Urus SE Performante, powered by a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 and an electric motor. Lamborghini claimed it could reach 100km/h in 3.3 seconds and a top speed of 312km/h. Those are manufacturer claims for the Urus variant, not Temerario specifications. ⁴

Lamborghini’s approach to a fully electric model has also changed. CNBC reported in July that the company had moved away from its pure-electric plan in favour of plug-in hybrids. In a later CarExpert account carried by PerthNow, CEO Stephan Winkelmann was reported as saying the first Lamborghini EV had been postponed indefinitely and that a planned fourth model, a 2+2-seat GT, would instead use plug-in hybrid power. An indefinite postponement does not establish a new launch date. ³⁴

How the manual comparison fits

The immediate comparison is Ferrari’s 12Cilindri Manuale. Both CarExpert and Robb Report describe its Manuale-by-Wire arrangement as a manual-style interface built around a dual-clutch transmission, rather than a newly engineered conventional H-pattern manual gearbox. Lamborghini’s executives were responding to interest in that kind of driver interaction, but neither account identifies a Lamborghini equivalent in development. ¹²

CarExpert says Lamborghini has not offered a manual since Gallardo production ended more than a decade ago. Foschini acknowledged to Road & Track, as reported by Robb Report, that some customers remain interested in the format. Racchetti’s later comments recognise that interest too, while keeping the emphasis on extracting more from Lamborghini’s hybrid cars. Neither statement amounts to an announcement of a future manual model. ¹²