Lamborghini Hybrid? 'New World' Estoque Could Be One (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Wired reports that Lamborghini's new 4-seater, the "Estoque," could, in a first for the legendary company, actually be a hybrid:

That's right, a hybrid. The company that last spring said it couldn't possibly meet Europe's tightening emissions rules may jump on the gas-electric bandwagon with a car it's been saying "is not just a new Lamborghini. It's a whole new world." Sant'Agata insists the car is just a concept at this point -- though everything it says suggests the car will be built -- but makes it clear it takes the company in a new direction.

"It is a concept that provides a clear indication of the future," the company says. "This applies to the new, elegant self-confidence of the lines themselves, but even more to the concept of the vehicle."

Scroll down for photos and video (and visit Wired for more information).

Comments

[Mind of Arjun]

Very pretty - has the same shape as the Maser Quattroporte. But it looks like Lambo's German masters are going to tame the raging bull - first the Gallardo (end of the Lambo doors) and now this?

Lambo's are supposed to excite the inner 10 year old in all of us - outrageous looks, mind blowing performance, pure sex on wheels. This looks a bit like a Lambo for the guy who's let his/her inner 10 year old die and be replaced by a 40 something exec with a wife, 2.4 kids and a mortgage.

[All in All]

Beautiful design (at least on the outside)!

There are so-many Beautiful Designed Concept-Vehicles, some of them have made it into the mainstream, more-or-less.

[gifu]

Beautiful design (at least on the outside). How metaphorical your statement is about the times we live in. No money for roads or bridges, but at least Americans can have "cool" cars!!! And so Rome burns and burns. Have a nice drive.

[All in All]

Trust Me You wouldn't want Me to "Have a nice drive", since My Eyesight is Very Bad!!

However I was just complementing the aspect of this Car that I can see, Thanks....You must disagree with My previous statement/­complement­....

[KillTheMessenger]

"No money for roads or bridges,"

That's nonsense. The world is building the most beautiful roads and bridges as we speak. But you have to remember that a single air patrol over Iraq is the equivalent of a mile of highway... a week of operations over there is the equivalent of a Golden Gate bridge.

You, my friend, are just getting what you paid for. If anybody thought that screaming "Four more years!" would have no consequences, they belong institutionalized.

[Whinger]

The powers that be had a H2O engine as far back as 1947 if memory serves!
The only pollution that came out of that exhaust was, you guessed it, water!

Believe it or not, water can thus be transformed into a flammable gas that is known as Oxyhydrogen!
Anyway, they buried it because of oil and the profit that would flow from that, now they want to save our dying planet and make money in the process all over again!

[drheelin]

Or, it could of been buried, because, it takes more energy to create Oxyhydrogen than it yeilds when burned. You are correct in that the results of this combustion result in water, but creating the stuff in the first place costs more in energy. its kind of like saying, we should use steam engines, cause they only create water once the steam condenses, but ignoring the emissions from the coal you had to burn to heat the water to get the steam.

[LeftRight]

On the other hand, it's possible that with enough money poured into the research you could come out with something that was not only clean, but was able to be mass produced without causing massive greenhouse gasses.

That's why Ethanol in the USA is such a losing proposition right now, since the only ways to make it economically involve a high sugar product. That's why they are looking for a catalyst to make Ethanol out of cellulosic starches.

[KillTheMessenger]

Wait, I get my personal wormhole, then we can go back in time and rescue that engine. I just have to remember which drawer I put it in...

:-)

[NoWMDs]

WOW....Maybe I'll sell my FreddyMac and FannieMAe stock and buy one.....Where's Warren Buffet when you need him..

[iluvsam]

My husband is a Lamborghini salesman, so if you want a Lambo let me know!

[gifu]

No, I just want groceries this week.. Thanks, though!!!

[gorgol]

Dear Santa: Forget about all that other stuff. Please, PLEASE get me that new Hybrid Lanborghini, because I want to do my part against Global Warming. Red would be nice, but, you choose.
Cookies and Milk as usual. Hope you like them.
Gorgol.

[Techwriters]

Can any one tell me wat will be its mileage.....????

www.futuretechwriters.com
mail@futur­etechwrite­rs.com

[dawp]

If ya have to ask, you can't afford it.

[BlackMagicWoman]

Who cares... It's beautiful!

[Techwriters]

Looks good........

[GabrielVH]

man... and to think i could buy one of these before it's made if bush gives me the bailout money...

if i get filthy rich before i'm 60, i'll definitely buy one of these. after 60, it's just not worth it... you're gonna die anyways, why tempt destiny with bad eyesight and a fast car?

[the964kid]

The lack of a hybrid option on a Lambo was definitely the only reason I didn't already have a few of these...

[Venom5809]

lol

[TruthSeeker09]

hilarious

[SolarPowerGuy]

OK, folks -- "hybrid" does not equal "environmentally responsible."

Given that you don't change a car's acceleration characteristics, hybrid drive trains ARE more efficient with fuel. But what if you DO decide to change the car's acceleration? The Lexus hybrids, and Honda Accord hybrid did this. Instead of giving the car better fuel economy, the hybrid drive train was used to provide more "oomph."

And then of course there's the classic lipstick on a pig, the hybrid SUV. Even if you do use the hybrid drive train to improve gas mileage -- and some hybrid SUV's increase fuel efficiency by as much as 30% compared to their conventional counterparts -- you are still driving an SUV, which means you are (statistically) hauling around hundreds more pounds of wasted mass than you would be if you were driving a car.

Expect this Lamborghini hybrid to compete with the Tesla Roadster -- and to get about 15 MPG.

[SCurry713]

that's fine! its pretty!

[sb250guy]

Relax! Lamborghinis and other supercars are not really an environmental problem. Sure, individually they pollute (hybrid or otherwise) and use a lot of fuel. The thing is that they are so expensive and statistically rare that they, as a group, just don't make a dent. The real problem is Ford Explorers, F-150s, and even Camrys, and all the other cars we all drive every day. They exist in such higher numbers and are driven millions of miles per day that they , not supercar toys for the rich, are the overwhelming contributors of CO2 and pollutants. That doesn't make me feel any warmer or fuzzier toward the folks that can afford these ridiculous (though often beautiful) things. I'm just saying that if you removed every Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche from the planet, the result would be ........hardly anything!

[LeftRight]

But even in the case of the Honda Accord and Lexus Hybrids which are not designed to reduce emissions as much as, say, a Honda Civic Hybrid, or a Prius, they DO reduce emissions over a standard Lexus or Honda Accord.

You are ENTIRELY correct about the Hybrid SUVs, however!

[Waikiki968]

Definitely, COUNT ME IN.

[AdV2k1]

looks cool but Lamborghini and cars like this are HORRIBLE I mean HORRIBLE gas mileage. And probably require Premium. So hybrid might give this what 20 MPG instead of normal 10 and require premium, pffffffft.

GM's Volt is affordable, cool and 40 miles per charge and about 50 mpg after that, so thats much better solution.

[SolarPowerGuy]

"GM's Volt is affordable, cool and 40 miles per charge and about 50 mpg after that, so thats much better solution."

You can't buy a Volt. I agree that the Lambo hybrid will never match the Volt in gas mileage, but -- you don't know how the Volt will perform in the real world, not yet. And you also don't know how much it will cost.

[KennethJohnstone]

Of course Lamborghinis get low MPG, they aren't designed to be economical cars. Why would you bother pointing this fact out? Anyone who rules out a lambo on the grounds of fuel economy probably just doesn't get it.

Lambo isn't proposing this as a solution, they're trying to make a statement by showing that high performance cars can incorporate efficient features. It's a major step for a performance car company to do something like this.

[SCurry713]

uhmmm yeah, lambo, or a chevy... this truly is the horns of a dilemma.

[BlackMagicWoman]

Gee, thanks for pointing this out. I changed my mind. I'll go with the Volt.

[sstv]

Could someone please fetch me a towel!?!?

[Cunningham]

You drooling, too? It's a sweet little ride.

[colddoseofsumthin]

i bet that 700 billion will help buy a few bankers one or two of these

[Venom5809]

I agree, they are saved.
Now they won't have to sell their Hampton's vacation houses and their Picassos anymore.