2024 Lamborghini Urus to switch to V8 plug-in hybrid

The incoming 2024 Lamborghini Urus will switch to an advanced new plug-in hybrid V8 powertrain next year as part of a huge technical overhaul designed to keep the Italian hyper-SUV relevant until its all-electric replacement arrives in 2029.

The new electrified powertrain will replace the current pure-combustion twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8, according to a report in Autocar.

Following in the tyre tracks of the new Lamborghini Revuelto supercar, the new hybrid V8 is primed to combine a pure-electric range of between 50-60km with even more power and torque than what’s already found in the current Lamborghini Urus Performante flagship.

Early estimates suggest the Lamborghini Urus PHEV could produce as much as 500kW and 1000Nm of torque – 10kW and 150Nm more than the Urus Performante, with the extra power and torque required to offset an expected increase in weight.

The new powertrain is likely to be combined with the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission found in the Revuelto and is believed to have been developed to ensure the Urus will survive amid stricter emissions regulations, including EU7 coming in 2025.

Remarks from Lamborghini boss Stephan Winkelmann suggest the forthcoming Lamborghini Huracan replacement will also use a development of the new PHEV powertrain, with the naturally-aspirated 5.2-litre V10 to disappear when the Huracan bows out.

Winkelmann told Autocar that even if combustion engines are not hit with an outright ban, he believes that taxes to run them on the road will be so high by 2035 that most car-makers will have no option but to switch to EVs.

Announcing that synthetic fuels were a good solution to keep existing combustion-powered vehicles running, Winkelmann said he was still committed to introducing Lamborghini’s first battery-powered vehicle – a 2+2 grand tourer – to market by 2028.

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