Since the Revuelto’s debut in 2023, Lamborghini has been promising to keep the V-12 around until 2030. The company wouldn’t comment on what might happen after that, suggesting it didn’t exactly know where regulations would take the brand. Now, though, Lamborghini insists the 12-cylinder will stay in production for even longer.
“The horizon for us is even more than 2030 now,” says product line director Matteo Ortenzi. “It’s part of the character of [the Revuelto]we like the responsiveness of the engine, it’s a signature for us, so we don’t want to change it.”
Speaking with Engine at the reveal of the Fenomeno at The Quail, Ortenzi points to the Revuelto’s hybrid system as the pathway to maintaining its 12-cylinder heart.
“This allows us to comply with the legislation, especially in CO2 and emissions, which would be difficult to comply with if we did not have this kind of technology,” he said.
Photo by: DW Burnett / Motor1
‘The horizon for us is even more than 2030 now.’
Despite Lamborghini’s massive sales achievements in the US, the decision to double down on the V-12 was not influenced by the Trump administration’s move to dismiss all penalties for emissions laws.
“For sure, we are keen to comply with every legislation, not just the US—I have in mind C6 in China,” Ortenzi says. C6—also known as China VI—is the country’s own set of emissions regulations. “So there are different kinds of legislation we have to comply with. We have one bullet that has to work worldwide, because we are a small producer. We have to be realistic.”
The news of Lamborghini’s recommitment to the V-12 comes alongside its move to scale back its ambitious EV plans. The Italian carmaker previously laid the groundwork to introduce its first purely electric car in 2028, before turning the Urus into an EV in 2029. Earlier this year, CEO Stephan Winkelmann walked back those plans, saying in separate interviews that the two cars could become plug-in hybrids instead.
The future of Lamborghini seems clear, then: Electric assistance all-around, but purebred, high-revving internal combustion engines too.
