Lamborghini is changing course with the Lanzador. Originally planned as the brand’s first fully electric model, the four-seat coupe will now arrive with a plug-in hybrid powertrain instead.

The Lanzador remains scheduled to become Lamborghini’s fourth model line in 2028, but its planned dual-motor electric setup producing 1,341 hp has been dropped. Lamborghini confirmed earlier this year that the production model would instead combine an internal-combustion engine with electric motors. Now, CEO Stephan Winkelmann has put a nail to it.

“We decided to change the Lanzador from full electric to plug-in hybrid, and this was very well accepted by the customer. They’re very happy about that,” said Winkelmann.

Lamborghini has yet to reveal the Lanzador’s new powertrain. One possibility is a system similar to those used by the Revuelto and Temerario, where electric motors work alongside a V8 or V12 engine. However, packaging such a system into the Lanzador’s four-seat coupe body could require significant changes.

Another possibility is a version of the Urus SE’s electrified twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8. The production Lanzador could comfortably exceed 800 hp, while matching the 907 hp output of the Temerario would make it a particularly formidable grand tourer.

Source: Car Buzz

This week, Maserati showed us what amounts to the core of its 2027 lineup. Freshly painted and wearing updated grilles, the facelifted GranTurismo, GranCabrio, and Grecale represent the company’s “volume,” so to speak. Maserati is counting on them to carry the Italian luxury maker through the near term. But then what?

During a Q&A session that followed the unveiling of these updated models, Maserati executives fielded questions not just about the two- and four-door vehicles they’d shown us, but about the future of Maserati itself—a future that, among other things, likely includes V8 power and a new, reimagined sedan.

“We have one of the best—if not the best—V6s in the world,” Maserati Chief Operating Officer Santo Ficili said.

And Ficili said the team’s immediate goal was to exploit that six-cylinder’s capabilities to its fullest extent. But he conceded there are segments of the market that simply won’t settle for smaller engines, and many of those buyers are in the market for high-end luxury vehicles.

“Of course, we are also considering the V8,” Ficili said.

Engineering boss Davide Danesin echoed Ficili’s sentiment, pointing out the V6’s flexibility, but also acknowledging that it made sense to keep a V8 design on the table.

“We have the knowledge; we have the capability,” Danesin said.

And at this point, even without a V8 on the official roadmap, it’s more likely to happen than a plug-in hybrid. The company is actively exploring opportunities to expand its 48-volt mild hybrid architecture, which is likely to percolate throughout the lineup over time. Full hybrid powertrains are also on the table, Danesin told us. But PHEVs? Don’t count on it.

Danesin noted that Maserati has access to all three levels of hybrid tech within the company’s broader “technological portfolio,” but played down the idea of a plug-in hybrid being compatible with its sales mission, citing both the weight and the fact that many customers simply don’t plug them in, making the batteries a waste of space (and mass).

So far, so good, right? Now, what about the future of Quattroporte?

Maserati’s iconic sedan remains on indefinite hiatus. It was supposed to be replaced by an EV. But both Ficili and Cristiano Fiorio, the company’s chief marketer, think there’s a future for four-doors at the automaker.

“Absolutely yes,” Fiorio said. “I believe that sedan will come back.”

Fiorio noted that Gen Z and Gen Alpha are both what the company refers to as “retro-seeking” buyers. They’re starting to reject the oversized and over-digitized cars that have grown popular in recent decades. “The world is full of SUVs,” he said.

And while Grecale helps Maserati fill the hole left by the Quattroporte, the company recognizes that there are buyers who want a true executive sedan. Fiorio thinks there’s room there for a new entry, but that the notion of a sedan itself might have to evolve a bit with the times.

“Quattroporte is looking for something new,” he said.

We’ll have to wait to find out exactly what that looks like.

Got a news tip? Let us know at tips@thedrive.com!

• The Nuvolari is Audi’s most powerful car ever.
• With a whopping 987 horsepower on tap, the limited-run supercar ties the original Bugatti Veyron.
• But while the Veyron had a huge, W16 engine doing the heavy lifting, the spaceship-like Nuvolari has electric power on its side.

This is the Audi Nuvolari, the German automaker’s most powerful production car ever. With up to 987 horsepower on tap, the angular Nuvolari is as powerful as the original Bugatti Veyron.

Unlike the legendary Veyron, however, the Nuvolari has a much smaller gas engine. So, how did Audi stuff this much power into a car that has half the displacement and half the cylinders of the Veyron? Simple: electric motors and batteries.

Photo by: Audi

While the 2005 Bugatti Veyron is powered by a marvelous 8-liter, W16 lump, the new Audi Nuvolari has a 4-liter V-8 engine sitting behind the driver and passenger. It also has not one, not two, but three oil-cooled axial flux electric motors that chime in when necessary, providing extra oomph, as well as enabling a modern iteration of Audi’s legendary Quattro all-wheel drive system.

Two electric motors power the front wheels, providing up to 1,585 pound-feet (2,150 Newton-meters) of torque and supporting variable torque distribution. A third axial flux motor is sandwiched between the mid-mounted V-8 engine and the eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Each of the three electric motors makes up to 147 hp (110 kW). Meanwhile, the gas engine can rev up to 10,000 rpm and delivers a maximum of 788 hp and 538.4 lb-ft (730 Nm) of torque.

A 7.3-kilowatt-hour (gross) lithium-ion battery that can be topped up from a Level 2 charger or through the car’s regenerative braking ties everything together. In other words, Audi’s most powerful and fastest road car, with a top speed of 217 miles per hour, is a plug-in hybrid. So much for the argument that hybrids and plug-in hybrids are useless, then.

The German automaker didn’t say how many miles the Nuvolari can drive on electricity with a full battery, but it should be more than the roughly 5-10 miles that the Lamborghini Temerario, which has a similar powertrain but a smaller battery, can do.

22

Source: Audi

Compared to conventional electric motors, axial flux motors are considerably smaller and lighter, enabling automakers to integrate them in smaller packages without compromising performance.

The Audi Nuvolari pays tribute to Tazio Nuvolari, a legendary Italian race driver who won races in the late 1930s behind the wheel of Auto Union-badged cars—the precursors to the Audi we know today. While similar in shape to the discontinued R8, the new Nuvolari supercar is not its successor. Instead, Audi wants to make a statement, building just 499 units of its new flagship, each with an eye-watering starting price of roughly $700,000 (€600,000).