In yet another sign that times are changing in Lamborghini, the Italian automaker is reportedly considering a hybrid supercar to serve as a replacement to the Lamborghini Aventador once the latter’s life cycle ends. It’s not a foregone conclusion, but Lamborghini’s head of research and development, Maurizio Reggiani, isn’t about to close the door on the possibility either. On the other hand, don’t expect the Italian automaker to start rolling out the red carpet for electric cars and autonomous vehicles. That’s not happening anytime soon because Lambo is still Lambo, and as such, it still has performance requirements to uphold.

There may come a day when a hybrid supercar comes out from Sant’Agata, Bolognese. That’s the tone Maurizio Reggiani had in a conversation with Motor Authority regarding the replacement for the seven-year-old Lamborghini Aventador. “With the new Aventador we must decide what will be the future of the super sports car in terms of electric contribution,” he said. “What way to manage the weight coming from electrification, and to be able to guarantee every way to have the DNA of a super sports car.”

Reggiani’s comments are consistent with what we’ve been hearing from Lamborghini recently. Hybrids are a possibility, but before Lamborghini dives headfirst into that pool, it needs to address a few issues, including the kind of weight a Lamborghini will pack if it does go the hybrid route. As it is, the Aventador already weighs over 4,000 pounds, which is already heavier than a car like the 3,400-pound McLaren P1 that has to account for the excess weight attributed to electric components and battery packs. A hybrid Lamborghini with the same components could balloon in weight even more. That’s a real issue that Lamborghini will have to address before it can seriously think about building a hybrid replacement for the Aventador.

As far as electric cars and autonomous technology are concerned, don’t expect Lamborghini to actively pursue either of these two technologies. Reggiani made that clear when he told Motor Authority that going full electric isn’t possible at the moment, even with the Urus SUV. "I think it's not still mature,” he said. “If you want on a dune experience off-road, it cannot be. With the temperature off-road, you will drive to the top of a hill, and after you have depleted energy.” That’s not to say that Lamborghini is shutting the door on electric cars permanently. There’s still a way to get the company to start using it, provided that batteries become lighter and easier to cool.

Autonomous driving technology, on the other hand, is a non-starter because it takes part of the experience of driving Lamborghinis away from the driver. “If you pay money to have fun to drive a super sports car, you want to drive the car, not a robot," Reggiani added.

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Lamborghini Aventador

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