After 50 years, the automaker known for naming sports cars after bulls is still charging forward. Automobili Lamborghini sold 3,457 vehicles in 2016, a 7% jump over last year. The automaker’s 2016 performance marks its sixth straight year of growth, with all major markets setting sales records—including in the US, which saw sales topping 1,000 cars delivered.
Given the hyper-competitive market that Lamborghini plays in—with rivals like Ferrari [RACE], McLaren and Aston Martin to name a few—a jump in sales is impressive, especially considering there there are only two product lines in Lamborghini’s current line-up.
Allessandro Farmeschi, Lamborghini’s chief operating officer, attributes the strong year to its newest car in ithe lineup: the V-10 powered Huracán. “Usually for us, the Huracán drives 75% of sales,” he said at this year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Lamborghini also released a sexy droptop version of the Huracán last year, the rear-wheel drive LP-580-2 Spyder.
But later this year, a new version of its flagship supercar will be coming—the Aventador S—and it’s one Farmeschi is particularly excited about. “ ‘S’ in our heritage is given to those cars that represent an evolution of the predecessor,” he says. Indeed, the Aventador boasts more than 740 horsepower from its V-12 engine plus a new technical feature, a 4-wheel steering system, something seen in top-of-the-line Porsche 911s.
While the Aventador and Huracán are getting all the headlines, Lamborghini is betting on a huge new product coming down its pipeline—and it could have a green powertrain. Famreschi hinted that a hybrid Lamborghini would be coming, but only for an upcoming “third model.” Could that be for the carmaker’s highly anticipated SUV—the Urus?
Lamborghini hinted in its press release that its third product line would be a “quantum leap in [its] product portfolio.” Plus, there have been other reports that the Urus will have a plug-in hybrid powertrain, as well as gasoline powered engines when it is released.
Whether a hybrid powertrain is coming for the Urus, or another vehicle entirely, pricing has not been confirmed for this third product line as there is no official release date – yet. “In 2017, we’ll have something new coming that will satisfy all our clientele and new customers, for sure,” Farmeschi teases near the end of the interview. “Something new [is] coming in the next months, you will see.”
Until then, we will have to wait for official confirmation to see if this elusive third product line will have true next-gen, hybrid power. If not, maybe it’s a bonkers new supercar, in which case the auto industry, critics and fans of Automobili Lamborghini will have something else to breathlessly discuss.
Note: This story has been updated.
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Pras Subramanian is a reporter/producer at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter @Pras_S
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