As Ferrari faces a brutal public relations storm over its newly unveiled Luce EV, cross-town rival Lamborghini is quietly taking a victory lap.
Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann recently defended his company’s decision to cancel its own all-electric project, the Lanzador, in favor of plug-in hybrids (PHEVs)—a strategic gamble that looks incredibly smart right now.
The Ferrari Fallout
Winkelmann’s remarks come at a disastrous moment for Maranello. Just 48 hours after Ferrari unveiled the Luce, the backlash translated into cold, hard market data:
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Stock Shock: Ferrari’s shares plunged by 8%.
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Value Erased: 5.38 billion USD in market value vanished overnight.
The massive financial hit underscores deep investor and fan skepticism regarding Ferrari’s extreme design pivot, which traded its trademark aggressive, red, multi-cylinder combustion look for a radical, ultra-smooth electric aesthetic.
Lamborghini’s Alternate Route
Speaking to CNBC, Winkelmann emphasized that Lamborghini’s decision to pivot away from pure battery electric vehicles (BEVs) was entirely driven by what super-car buyers actually want.
While he politely avoided naming Ferrari directly, the subtext was crystal clear:
“By observing the market… we saw that the acceptance curve [of EVs] for our type of customers is not increasing, and that therefore we decided to move away from a full-electric car into a plug-in hybrid. Our decision to go from ICE to plug-in was a very important one for us, and it worked out.”
— Stephan Winkelmann, Lamborghini CEO
Pure Electric vs. Emotional Connection
Lamborghini didn’t just cancel the Lanzador EV; it also scrapped plans for a fully electric Urus SUV.
The brand’s internal market research continually proved that high-end supercar enthusiasts demand an “emotional connection” to their vehicles—something deeply rooted in the raw, mechanical symphony and sensory experience of roaring V8 and V12 engines.
By prioritizing Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), Lamborghini allows buyers to keep the high-revving engine notes they love while still meeting tightening global emissions standards. Judging by Ferrari’s current multi-billion dollar headache, Lamborghini’s conservative approach may have just saved them from a similar disaster.
