The Lamborghini Asterion Hybrid Concept has been revealed as the first hybrid Lamborghini with an 898bhp plug-in petrol electric powertrain in a GT Cruiser.
The Lamborghini Asterion – an 898bhp Hybrid Concept
Last month, Lamborghini teased a new car for the 2014 Paris Motor Show, which we reckoned would be a plug-in hybrid Lamborghini Asterion. And it is.
Lamborghini has now revealed the Asterion at the Paris show, and it’s the first hybrid from Lamborghini and features the 5.2 litre V10 from the Huracan supplemented by three electric motors to create a Lamborghini with an output of 898bhp and emissions of 95g/km.
The V10 delivers 602bhp and 413lb/ft of torque to the back wheels, with an electric motor in the gearbox adding more help for the back wheels, plus a pair of electric motors in the front axle driving the front wheels. The electric motors add an additional 296bhp to the output of the Asterion.
A choice of three driving modes are on offer – EV, Hybrid and Power – and the electric motors are powered by lithium ion batteries stored in the central tunnel, which can be recharged regeneratively or by plugging the Asterion in to a wall socket.
Lamborghini say the batteries are good for 31 miles in EV mode – making this a front-wheel-drive Lambo much of the time when so powered – but when you throw everything the Asterion has in to the mix it can hit 62mph in 3.0 seconds and on to 199mph, despite which it comes with ‘official’ emissions of 95g/km (and therefore economy of around 67mpg).
The Asterion LPI 910-4 Concept also showcases a new design direction for Lamborghini with a softer, more sweeping design – rather than the edginess of the current Lambo designs – and is actually quite reminiscent of Italian GTs from the 1970s. with a higher, longer nose than we’re used to seeing, more upright windscreen and a higher stance. In fact, the Asterion LPI 910-4 is very much the GT Cruiser in look and even the minimalistic interior (below) is more GT than Supercar.
The Lamborghini Asterion LPI 910-4 may not preview a new Lamborghini model directly, but it undoubtedly previews a drivetrain that we will probably see first in the Urus SUV in a couple of years time.
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