Lamborghini’s electrifying debut at Paris 2014

It was hard to put your finger on what was missing in the Paris Mondial de L’Automobile this year. The event was as classy as ever, full of pomp, elegance and the type of razzmatazz that the Parisians do so well, but somehow it seemed just a little bit restrained and unexciting – then we visited the Lamborghini stand!
Until now, the idea that an electric hybrid engine could produce the acceleration and power to impress in a road-legal supercar seemed, quite frankly, absurd – yet our friends at Lamborghini have done it, with mouth-watering results with the Asterion LPI 910-4.

Yet, unlike the Ferrari and McLaren hybrids, this is not a vanity exercise for the racing circuits, this car has sincere ambitions of becoming a production model. President and CEO, Stephan Winkelmann confirmed: ‘The Asterion was conceived more for comfortable luxury daily cruising than ultimate track performance.’ In the Asterion, Lamborghini has produced a plug-in hybrid “technology demonstrator”, using technologies that are currently available. Their aim: to investigate significantly reducing CO2 emissions in the supercar field without compromising performance and genuine usability.
The Asterion, like all Lamborghini’s, is named after a bull. Asterion is the proper name of the mythical Minotaur, which was, appropriately, a hybrid character; half man, half bull.
Powered by a 5.2-litre hybrid-GT V10 petrol engine, working in tandem with three electric motors, it gives the Asterion a maximum power of 910bhp which can achieve 0-62mph in 3.0 seconds and a top speed of 198.8mph. As if those figures were not the envy of many car manufacturers, in pure electric mode figures are equally surprising. The Asterion can even reach 78mph and it is claimed, able to travel up to 31 miles on battery power alone. The CO2 emissions are just 98g/km and it is claimed to be capable of 68.5mpg, which you have to agree, is impressive.
Of course, she is not only quick, and packed with cutting edge technology, she is beautiful too. Like her sister cars, she is crafted entirely from carbon-fiber, produced from a single component, giving a dynamic look. She is less curved, more angular in appearance, which coupled with the carbon wheels, 20 inch diameter at the front and 21 inch at the rear, gives the Asterion the appearance that this bull is just about to charge.

 
Inside, there is a slightly retro, 60’s feel, but with a modern twist. The chocolate and ivory seats are positioned slightly higher than usual, to ensure that this car is comfortable for cruising as well as performance driving.  It also contains a luggage compartment and a portable touch-screen tablet to climate control and in-car infotainment.
Stephan Winkelmann said: “Lamborghini is always looking ahead, investing in new technologies and setting new benchmarks, delivering the unexpected. To significantly reduce emissions on a car in this moment, plug-in electrification is the best option for us, because for Lamborghini such a car must still provide a truly emotional driving experience.”
Although there’s no word as to whether the Asterion would ever make it into production in its current form, Lamborghini has confirmed the technology developed in its creation will trickle into production cars soon.
So, no doubt we’ll be a seeing a hybrid Lamborghini in our showrooms very soon.
For more information on our current Lamborghini Range please take a look at our New Lamborghini and Used Lamborghini. Alternatively you may wish contact one of our Lamborghini dealerships for more information.