Lamborghini explains why the Sian is not a preview of its next design language
Sat, Jul 11 2020
Lamborghini pushed the boundaries of its design language with the sold-out Sian, but its head designer explained the project's goal wasn't to preview future cars. The company's first hybrid model will remain its own thing.
"With the Sian, with the coupe and now the Roadster, we have closed this project. It is a masterpiece, we have a very special color for each, but this language is just for the Sian. Whatever we design in the future, we will follow the design DNA of Lamborghini. Just to repeat the Sian one more time would be way too easy, the expectations here at Lamborghini are much higher, so the future is always open," design boss Mitja Borkert told Autoblog.
Lamborghini will make 19 examples of the Sian Roadster, and 63 units of the coupe, numbers chosen because the company was founded in 1963. Borkert's team designed the model with a high degree of customization in mind to ensure no two examples are exactly alike. Once they're assigned a build slot, buyers will work directly with Lamborghini's designers and its Ad Personam personalization department to configure their car.
"The Sian is really something I want to turn into a masterpiece. My personal promise is that each and every car will be completely unique in terms of look, in terms of color, and in terms of material," Borkert assured us.
Meanwhile, work on the Aventador's replacement — whose name hasn't been revealed — continues, and we hear it's about a year from making its debut. Although it won't look anything like the Sian, Lamborghini previously confirmed the model will arrive as a hybrid in order to offer more power than its predecessor without summoning a dark cloud of disapproval from regulators. Technical details about the gasoline-electric technology it will use haven't been announced yet, but hybrid systems will play a large role in the company's future range.
"This kind of hybridization will be fundamental in order to respect all of the rules, and to guarantee that our DNA is protected," affirmed Maurizio Reggiani, the head of Lamborghini's research and development department. He again stressed that getting rid of the V12 — or turbocharging/supercharging it — is completely out of the question. Â
Like every carmaker, Lamborghini was caught off-guard by the on-going coronavirus pandemic and the lock-downs enforced globally in a bid to prevent the disease from spreading. It shut down its historic factory in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy, for seven weeks during the spring of 2020 so its annual output will be reduced, but the factory is reopened and running at full capacity. Looking at sales figures suggest the worst is already over.
"We had, in June, the best month of the last 15 months. We had the Asian market, which was leading, but Europe and the United States also performed extremely well. This was not just a short-term thing; July sales suggest we're back at a speed that make the commercial operation pretty optimistic. Looking ahead, in 2020 the car industry will suffer — and it will suffer a lot — but I am expecting Lamborghini will suffer less than the majority of the car brands, and our sales outlook for 2021 is optimistic," noted chief commercial officer Giovanni Perosino.
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By Ronan Glon
See also: Hybrid Sian Roadster becomes Lamborghini's most powerful convertible, Lamborghini will introduce a mysterious new model tomorrow, Lamborghini yacht by Tecnomar is 4,000-hp tribute to the Lambo Sian FKP 37.