Lamborghini is the latest in a host of either small-volume, or niche passenger car manufacturers announcing either a total leap (Jaguar, Bentley) to fully electrification (BEV) or partial high voltage jump (PHEV). However the rational doesn't necessarily lie just in its split second sprint to 100km/h, or is lurking behind the diamond studded interiors, but more simply behind an office desk, somewhere in the inner-depths of Brussels. The move by the European Commission in Brussels to phase-out the so-called derogation rule, allowing niche and small-volume manufacturers to meet their own designated CO2 goals, will be phased-out between 2025 and 2028.
In 2020 Lamborghini had a derogation CO2 fleet target of just 304g/km while Bentley – that is moving to a pure BEV line-up by the end of the decade – had a target of 245g/km according to official European Commission data.
The phase-out of the derogations for these luxury manufacturers is forcing the hands of not just Lamborghini, but also Ferrari (already made the first leap with 150 West European PHEVs registered this year according to Schmidt Automotive Research data) to reconsider their medium-term drivetrain portfolios and plug-in to a greener future.
In the case of Lamborghini, this is very likely a case of product planning decisions being made in Sant'Agata Bolognese, with a heavy dose of Brussels seasoning on top.
More in-depth insights on the West European electric car market are available in the exclusive European Flash Electric Car Sales Monthly Market Intelligence Report, published on a monthly basis, available here. *Western Europe 18 Markets: EU Member States prior to the 2004 enlargement plus EFTA markets Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, plus UK
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