Lamborghini’s plans for its first electric car have just hit a brief pause, but don’t worry, it’s not time to start doubting the brand just yet. The Lanzador, an EV concept unveiled in mid-2023, was originally slated to hit production in 2028. Now, the Italian automaker has pushed that timeline to 2029, according to the latest reports.

The Lanzador is sort of a 21st-century Espada. It offers four seats, two doors, and has zero intent on being a hardcore track weapon. Of course, given current consumer trends, having it sit upright in the form of a semi-crossover will likely help it in terms of sales. That said, with signs suggesting the EV market could cool off in regions like the U.S. and Europe even as it grows elsewhere, including China, Lamborghini is now predicting production “before the end of the decade” instead of the originally planned 2028.

More: Aston Martin Valhalla Battles Italians With 1,064 HP PHEV V8

In November, CEO Stephan Winkelmann made it clear that Lamborghini is playing the long game. “We have enough time to decide if we need to accelerate or delay the introduction of the electric cars,” he stated. “So far, we are not thinking about delaying anything: we said we want to have our first electric car by the end of this decade, and this is something which we will continue to foster, because we said it has to be an additional car – a fourth model.”

A Deliberate Approach

While arch-rival Ferrari plans to launch its first EV as soon as 2025—four years ahead of Lamborghini—Winkelmann is unconcerned. According to Reuters, he stated, “We do not think 2029 is late to have an electric car. We do not think that, in our segment, the market will be ready in 2025 or 2026.”

So technically, the brand can still meet Winklemann’s predictions of “in this decade” even if the car comes out a year later than originally planned. In any case, it’s understandable that the brand would want to be very careful about how (and when) it launches such an important product.

Several performance-oriented EVs on the market today can out-sprint the all-new Temerario hybrid, which is no slouch itself. However, Lamborghini will need to do more than just build a fast-in-a-straight-line electric crossover to live up to its customers’ expectations. On top of that, it’s wrangling with regulations that could speed up or slow down the need for an EV in its lineup.

“We think this is the right way to face the future,” Winkelmann said. “There are discussions around synthetic fuels and this is an opportunity for our kind of cars”. Here’s hoping that the house of the raging bull gets it right, regardless of whenever its first EV arrives. 

Lamborghini isn’t getting cold feet about its electrification plans even as other luxury brands backtrack on their own promises in response to a global slowdown in the EV market, the CEO says.

Stephan Winkelmann told reporters the firm’s fourth model line, an electric crossover previewed by the 2023 Lanzador concept was still on track to debut before the end of the decade. Though he did add that the end of the decade was far enough in the future that the company still has some flexibility.

Related: Lamborghini Is In No Rush To Build An Electric Supercar

“We have enough time to decide if we need to accelerate or delay the introduction of the electric cars,” he told Autocar magazine. “So far, we are not thinking about delaying anything: we said we want to have our first electric car by the end of this decade, and this is something which we will continue to foster, because we said it has to be an additional car – a fourth model.”

Lamborghini’s entire three-model lineup – the Urus SUV and the Temerario and Revuelto supercars – are now all equipped with hybrid engines, a move customers appear to have accepted. But the company never made a promise to junk all of its combustion drivetrains by any set date, a decision that has proved wise.

Rival brand Lotus, on the other hand, had vowed to go all-electric in 2028 and Bentley said it would do the same by 2030. Both have this year announced radical changes to their plans, Lotus revealing that it’s now working on range-extender hybrids and Bentley pushing back its all-EV switchover to 2035.

Lamborghini’s sister brand, Porsche, has also ripped up its electrification strategy and admitted that it will now re-engineer some EVs currently in development to also offer hybrid drivetrains. Lambo could well benefit from that U-turn – its next Urus due in 2029 was supposed to be EV-only, but we’d be surprised if it turns up without a combustion (hybrid) option.

Cars and coffee events across the nation often end up being newsworthy. In this case though it isn’t a crash that makes the headlines, but instead a very short drag race between a Cybertruck and a Lamborghini. Despite the brevity of the competition, local authorities are up in arms about exactly this type of driving.

The event happened a week ago and this video comes from the aftermath. As participants are leaving the venue at The Boro in Tysons Corner, Virginia, a blue Lamborghini Aventador roadster is the main focus. The driver pulls up to an intersection, runs a red light, and then turns so as to position himself next to a Tesla Cybertruck.

More: Private Racetrack For Sale, Better Bring A Mower

The Lamborghini driver revs his engine and proceeds to get gapped by the Tesla driver in what is perhaps the least interesting drag race ever. That’s mostly because the entire thing lasts less than five seconds as both cars race toward another nearby red light. Traffic blocks their way otherwise they might have simply run this light as well.

In any case, the video has already garnered millions of views online and police aren’t super stoked about it. According to FFXNow, law enforcement in the state is trying to add statutes that allow them to penalize people associated with this kind of driving more harshly.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Charles Jenkins (@ccj_media)

“Our suggestion or proposal essentially adds language in the racing statute that supports our ability to charge everyone involved in these activities … and significantly increase the penalties, which includes vehicle impoundments and things like that,” Assistant Chief of Police for Operations Robert Blakely said.

For now, it’s unclear if authorities have identified the drivers of the Lamborghini or the Tesla, though we suspect it won’t be too hard to track them down. At least neither of them crashed, and we’re not dealing with more serious consequences like injuries. It’s far from responsible behavior from two people with clearly more dollars than sense—but, all things considered, it could’ve been worse.

Image Credit: CCJ Media

While many expect the car industry to ultimately transition almost entirely to electric vehicles, slowdowns in the take-up of new EVs do mean ICEs will continue to be offered for longer than many had expected. That’s great news for car enthusiasts, particularly if you’re a fan of the Lamborghini brand.

Following the launch of the Reveuelto, Temerario, and Urus SE, Lamborghini now offers three hybrids, which all retain big-capacity and hugely powerful combustion engines. These kinds of engines have become synonymous with Lamborghini and during a recent interview, the automaker’s technical officer, Rouven Mohr, confirmed they aren’t going anywhere soon, noting now is not the right time for an electric supercar.

Read: Lamborghini Boss Says ‘YOLO’ Effect Is Behind Record Sales

“At the moment, now, the time would not be right [for an EV], at least not in a super sports car,” he told Motor1. “You have seen a lot of [electric] cars on the market that were not really successful.” Mohr added he’s happy with Lamborghini’s current line-up, but admitted it will, eventually, go down the EV route in the future.

“I’m super happy with our current lineup, because with a hybridized lineup, we can live for the next decade,” he said. “But I also believe Lamborghini needs to have the transition [to electric power], because it’s only a question of time when the mindset will change.”

Lamborghini’s first EV will be inspired by the Lanzador Concept and is scheduled to arrive in 2028. Limited details are known about this new 2+2 at this early stage, but Mohr says the carmaker is working hard to ensure it offers the same excitement factor customers have come to expect from the brand’s models.

“You can be sure when we bring the first electric Lamborghini, we will be very careful in managing the brand’s attributes,” he noted. “We are not thinking to bring another standard electric car, one megawatt of power. It’s not like this. You need a differentiation.”