Lamborghini’s parent company, Audi, has issued a press release that, among other things, says that Lambo won’t be attending the 2020 Geneva Motor Show. The idea behind this move is that it wants to skip GIMS so that it can focus on “standalone events” where its cars won’t have to share the spotlight with rival models. If you were there last year, you’d know that isn’t really the case – Lambo was in the middle of one of the larger halls and surrounded by cars it doesn’t compete with – but hey, one excuse is as good as any other. There’s a little more to this story, though.

Does Skipping Geneva Give Lambo the Money it Needs to Go Hybrid?

I won’t pretend to know what it costs to set up shop at an auto show – especially not with million-dollar cars, security, and other staff in tow. But I know it’s not cheap. That Urus PHEV will likely borrow at least some tech or know-how from Lambo’s other two hybrids – the 2014 Asterion Concept and the recently announced Sian FKP 37. The move to skip GIMS 2020 might have something to do with costs associated.

Lamborghini is going all-in on hybrid tech, but EVs aren’t on the immediate horizon

Unfortunately, we don’t know what other models are coming this year, outside of the Urus ST-X and Urus PHEV, but Lamborghini will be spending more money on hybrid tech as it’s been confirmed that ”hybrid variants for all next-generation super sports car models” are being developed. That means that the successors to the Lamborghini Huracan and Aventador will, in fact, combine combustion engines with electric motors.

Why Will the Lamborghini Aventador Be Replaced First?

Whether or not these successors arrive this year remains to be seen. I certainly wouldn’t expect both models to arrive, but a replacement for the Aventador could happen. And, for very good reason.

When you look at the numbers, the Huracan isn’t all that old. It was introduced in 2014. the Aventador, on the other hand, hit the market way back in 2011 and will, despite the introduction of the Aventador S and SVJ in 2017, be a decade old as of 2021. If I were to bet on any new car coming this year, I’d bet that it’s a successor to the Lamborghini Aventador. The Huracan’s successor will probably come in late 2021 or early-to-mid 2022.

Lamborghini May Be Out of Auto Shows Forever

Neither Lamborghini or its parent company, Audi, has come out and said that Lamborghini is skipping anything other than the 2020 Geneva Motor Show, but there’s a reason more and more automakers are skipping auto shows. It all boils down to the trade-off between exposure and competition. When you debut or even show off a car to the public at something like the Geneva Motor Show, you compete with 100s of other automakers for attention. With standalone events, there are no time constraints, no schedules to compete with, and, more importantly, people are only at your event for your car. On top of that, only people you want at the event are there, and the rest of the world can watch via that nifty technology we call the internet. It’s easier to keep costs in check, protect your assets, and create shows that really wow the crowd on the scene and watching from abroad.

It sucks for those of us that love to get up close and personal with cars we rarely get to see otherwise, but from a business standpoint, and a financial standpoint, it makes sense for Lamborghini to skip Geneva and – honestly – just about any other auto show.