While many automakers have now backpedaled on their decision to go all-in on electrification, there’s no disputing that adopting hybridization may be beneficial. In terms of Lamborghini’s lineup, the first road-going model to be equipped with a hybrid drivetrain was the Lamborghini Sián FKP 37, which featured a mild-hybrid V12 engine. The Lamborghini Revuelto is a more conventional hybrid, with a much larger battery pack.
The Lamborghini Sián was unveiled in 2019. The entire Lamborghini range is now hybrid. However, there was another Lamborghini model that, if ever fully realized, would have been the Italian automaker’s first hybrid, rather than the Sián. That model was the Lamborghini Asterion concept that shared an engine with the Lamborghini Huracán.
The Lamborghini Asterion Concept
Before the Sián debuted, Lamborghini first teased a model with a plug-in-hybrid system that made its debut at the 2014 Paris Motor Show, which, according to Lamborghini, was the automaker’s solution to drastically reducing its vehicles’ CO2 emissions by leveraging its technology at the time. The result was the Lamborghini Asterion concept, entirely conceived in-house by Lamborghini, which sought to push the boundaries and standards of its design and engineering across the model range in 2014.
Like many Lamborghini offerings before and since the debut of the Lamborghini Asterion, this concept car’s name, Asterion LPI 910-4, was derived from its design and configuration and drew inspiration from bulls. In this case, the Asterion name was derived from the name of a mythical minotaur. While its name was unique, so too was its design, which looked like a fastback version of the model it shared an engine with and was similar to the profile we’d see on the Lamborghini Estoque, a V10-powered family car that we still think should have been built.
“To significantly reduce emissions on a car in this moment, however, plug-in electrification is the best option for us, because for Lamborghini, such a car must still provide a truly emotional driving experience. In the Asterion, this is guaranteed through a naturally aspirated engine that is combined with PHEV technology, which not only offers exceptionally low CO2 emissions of 98 g/km, but a practical pure electric driving range of 50 km. The Asterion LPI 910-4 is a true Lamborghini: emotional, with a stunning design, powerful, yet conceived more for comfortable luxury daily cruising than for ultimate track performance.” – Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini.
An Electrified V10 At Its Core
|
Model |
Lamborghini Asterion |
2015 Lamborghini Huracán LP 610-4 |
|---|---|---|
|
Engine |
5.2-liter naturally aspirated PHEV V10 |
5.2-liter naturally aspirated V10 |
|
Horsepower |
602 hp @ 8,250 rpm (ICE) – 897 hp (Combined) |
602 hp @ 8,250 rpm |
|
Torque |
N/A |
413 lb-ft @ 6,500 rpm |
|
0-62 mph |
3 seconds |
3.2 seconds |
|
Top speed |
199 mph |
202 mph |
While its styling drew attention, the Lamborghini Asterion’s centerpiece was its powertrain. As we’ve said, it shares its ten-cylinder beating heart with the Lamborghini Huracán, mounted longitudinally as a mid-engine, and this was paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission positioned behind the 5.2-liter V10 as a transaxle. Furthering its performance capabilities and distinguishing it from the rest of the production model range was its hybrid architecture that consisted of three electric motors, with two on the front axle and one at the rear, that drew strength from lithium-ion batteries. These were located below the center console to improve its safety, while also lowering the Asterion’s center of gravity.
The implementation of electric motors and lithium-ion batteries meant the Lamborghini Asterion could run entirely on power generated by the three electric motors. Relying entirely on its electric power, the Asterion concept had a total driving range of up to 31 miles and reached a top speed of 78 mph. Interestingly, it used the two electric motors on the front axle in its electric drive mode, technically making it the first front-wheel-drive Lamborghini. The Asteiron also had a hybrid mode that featured a constant interplay between the V10 engine and three electric motors to deliver a permanent all-wheel-drive system without relying on battery power.
While its hybrid powertrain was an impressive aspect on its own, the Lamborghini Asterion concept was also configured more as a grand tourer than an athletic supercar, with its spacious interior, higher ride height, and a luxurious cabin that leaned more toward overall comfort than tarmac-punishing performance, although it could do so. This unique confirmation from Lamborghini would have competed against the likes of the Ferrari California T and the McLaren 570 GT.
Shelved In Favor Of The Urus
Despite the Lamborghini Asterion concept being an exciting offering that would’ve undoubtedly had a significant impact on its model range, the would-be hybrid Italian concept was never to be fully realized. We know now that a hybrid Lamborghini model eventually spawned from the Sant’Agata Bolognese factory, so why was the Lamborghini Asterion concept never realized?
In an interview with Autocar, Lamborghini’s CEO, Stephan Winkelmann, stated:
“They told us that they were open to innovation, including hybrid technology, but only if it came with the benefit of added performance. A Lamborghini super-sports car is driven maybe 3,000 miles a year, not every day, so the electrification has to offer an added intensity to justify its inclusion.”
That said, Lamborghini then turned its efforts to developing the Lamborghini Urus, which debuted in 2017, and a few years later introduced the Lamborghini Sián FKP 37, the automaker’s first hybrid model. In 2024, Lamborghini unveiled its first hybrid Super SUV, the Lamborghini Urus SE, which employed a plug-in hybrid powertrain producing 800 horsepower, less than the Lamborghini Asterion concept’s powertrain. However, the Urus didn’t benefit from the grunt of a V10 engine, and instead took motivation from a twin-turbocharged V8.
This Electrified Lambo Concept Looked Much Cooler
A few years after the Lamborghini Asterion concept was unveiled and then shelved, the Italian automaker would take another swing at an electrified model, albeit this one was more extreme and ambitious than the Asterion concept or the Sián FKP 37. Dubbed the Lamborghini Terzo Millennio, it was the product of a collaboration between Lamborghini and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, developed over three years at a cost of millions and intended to serve as a yardstick for the automaker’s future cars.
It is one of the best, boldest, and wildest concepts that Lamborghini has ever created. As a result of its forward-focused design, the Terzo Millennio relied on an integrated electric motor for each wheel that harnesses energy from its advanced energy storage system, which departed from conventional electric vehicle technology. Its powertrain was ambitious, and the same can be said for the materials it relied on. Lamborghini envisioned the Terzo Millennio concept to rely on nanomaterial technology, using nanocharges in its composite body panels to help store energy. This was intended as a technological showcase and concept vehicle, and as such, it should be no surprise that this ambitious concept was never fully realized.
Sources: Lamborghini, Autocar
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