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In 2022, everything will remain the same at Lamborghini. Performance, sound and flashy styling further for a lot of fascination and driving pleasure. But there is more.
Corona and Chip crisis despite having Lamborghini A new high was recorded in 2021 with over 8.400 cars sold, although the Italians continue to rely exclusively on combustion models. But 2022 will be the last year for Urus, Huracan and Aventador without electrified alternatives. Lamborghini is on the way to the e-age. On a trip from the Matterhorn to the headquarters in Sant'Agata, we were able to learn a lot about this future and a lot more about the present of the brand.
They're all fun
The start is an "Ice Experience" on the south side of the Matterhorn, where we practice gentle drifting with rear and four-wheel drive on icy open spaces. The Huracan Evo Coupé can be guided through the winding pylon course in transverse driving mode with amazing ease. A careful foot on the gas pedal and skilful timing when steering are enough to keep the flounder, which is supported by control electronics and variable power distribution, on course.
We playfully drive figure eights with the rear positioned transversely and 360-degree turns. The rear-wheel drive Huracan STO is completely different, as it boldly sticks its rear end out to the side as soon as you step on the gas and immediately gives the driver a broad grin. "If it's a Lambo, then that one!" suddenly comes to mind. But the RWD Huracan needs a professional buttometer to guide it through the course in the same way. In the 360 degree pirouette, almost everyone gets stuck at the 180 degree point. Playing with the gas and steering requires significantly more precision here.
At the edge of the ice surface, some Urus and sports cars are ready for exits. Huracan and Aventendor are sold out quickly, the SUVs stay where they are. It's the flat power wedges that create the fascination of the Italian brand and make the finely made SUV pale in comparison. The Urus is an important model for Lamborghini. More than half of the sales are attributable to the V220.000 car, which costs over 8 euros, and some customers of the heavy ship later also bought a Huracan. On the other hand, it doesn't work the other way around. Those who opt for a Lamborghini sports car will generally avoid the Urus.
No exact time yet
Lamborghini is at a crossroads. There is still no alternative to the combustion engine, but in 2023 the Italians will start into the electric future. Initially, hybrid drives will be used for all model series. A purely electrically driven series is then planned for the second half of the decade. You don't want to pin down the exact year. Maybe 2028. In any case, the Italians want to take their time with their first E-Lambo, which will very likely be a 2+2 seater. The relationship between performance and range should be right. Maybe in a few more years, then the e-drive and battery technology should meet the high standards of the brand.
A skilled hand is required for the Huracan STO with rear-wheel drive 
The rear of the Huracan STO breaks out easily, catching it afterwards is not always easy
In any case, the bar is set very high for Lamborghini, as can be seen by taking the Huracan STO for a spin on winding mountain roads. The STO is a brutal beast with a mighty rear wing, rock-hard chassis, extremely light and 470 kW/640 hp. With a matt finish in olive green, finely crafted carbon parts, delicate lightweight wheels and the voluminous tailpipes, it makes an impression. Inside, the racing-style cockpit gives the driver the feeling of sitting in a fighter jet.
The technical proximity to the Audi R8 was cleverly concealed. The mechanical hum of the engine clearly points to the German origin, but the virtuoso and wild sound from the exhaust pipes bears an Italian signature. If you shift down a gear or two with the left paddle shifter behind the steering wheel in Trofeo mode when driving in a tunnel and rev the 5,2-liter V10 beyond 5.000 rpm, it causes a pleasant shiver. In the hybrid future, Lamborghini will continue to cultivate the sound that is so important for the brand identity, but this will no longer be possible with the purely electric model.
The STO impressively demonstrates its skills on the winding mountain roads. The steering, which is unaffected by drive influences, short shift times, the powerful thrust - this offers potential for addiction. In view of the uncompromising hardness of the chassis and the many frost holes in the asphalt, however, you have enough speed.
The big one offers a lot of comfort
We experience the subsequent drive in an all-wheel-drive Huracan Coupé in normal road mode as a real blessing, with a consistently high dynamic driving level. Compared to the STO, you almost feel like you're in a Gran Turismo, which offers more safety reserves thanks to all-wheel drive. However, the Urus then shows us how much more comfortable a Lambo can be. From the border to Switzerland, the path leads us first into the Aoste Valley to the Forte di Bard, which once served as a backdrop for the Avengers film "Age of Ultron".
The Lambo SUV also looks like a fortress, which is nevertheless extremely mobile. The 478 kW/650 hp four-liter V8 biturbo, in combination with an 8-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive, ensures surprisingly lively propulsion of the 2,2-tonner. 3,6 seconds for the sprint to 100 km/h and 305 km/h top speed speak for themselves. Its agile handling also makes the lavish format and high weight quickly forgotten. If the "Corsa" mode is selected via a small plastic lever called "Tambour", the comfortable giant sputters, bangs and misfires from its Akrapovic exhaust system like a brutal racing car.
It doesn't get more sporty
We then experience one of these on the last stretch of the motorway to Sant'Agata, because from the Urus we climb a few floors down into the Aventador SVJ. It embodies the DNA of the sports car manufacturer like no other car. It's long, wide, flat. Its dramatic air vents, mighty tail units and striking gullwing doors ensure a particularly spectacular appearance. Inside, there is a lack of headroom, adjustment options for the seats and a view of the traffic behind.
Looking at the aged cockpit, which looks cobbled together from old Audi parts, one can also guess that the fighting bull passed its zenith years ago. But then there is the free-breathing 6,5-liter twelve-cylinder with a ludicrous 566 kW/770 hp, which pushes as brutally as the body design would suggest. All-wheel steering and drive help convert the immense power into maximum propulsion. The sound is very different from Urus and Huracan. Here the engine sounds more mechanical, coarser, reminiscent of a thunderstorm that resounds from loudspeakers with a defective membrane. What's even more amazing is that the chassis feels almost comfy compared to the Huracan STO.
Arriving at the sports car manufacturer's plant, the solar panels on the roofs and the charging stations in the visitor parking spaces catch the eye. Although the influence of this rare species, which is rarely driven by its owners, on the climate is still small, the Italians want to step up their efforts to protect the climate. This is undoubtedly necessary, but it does make me a little nostalgic.