We've been hearing for a while now that Lamborghini is preparing a new hybrid supercar codenamed the LB48H, which was shown to a few select customers at a private event. When it reaches production, rumors suggest the car will go by the name Unico and arrive with a limited production of just 63 units with a price of $2.5 million.
What we did not know was when the Unico was expected to arrive... until now. In an interview with Motoring, Lamborghini Chief Commercial Officer, Federico Foschini, said the brand would debut the production car at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show in September along with "a surprise," which could be the plug-in hybrid Urus.
The production LB48H is expected to use a mid-mounted 6.5-liter V12 from the Aventador mated with electric motors at the front to deliver a total of 838 horsepower. With such a limited production run, the LB48H (or Unico) is not meant to be a direct replacement for the Aventador.
Instead, it will be the latest in a lineup of limited-run cars from Lamborghini. "So we had the Reventon, the Veneno, and the Centenario, and now we have this car, the LB48H. This is the technical name but we’re not yet revealing the final name. This car is really a huge product for Lamborghini," said Foschini.
When the Aventador successor eventually arrives, it will be powered by a plug-in hybrid drivetrain. Rumors have speculated the Aventador successor will arrive in 2020 but "Maybe it will be a little bit later, because of the success of the current Aventador is still so huge that we don’t need to change. For example, the SVJ, has been pre-sold just in the first three to four weeks," Foschini explained.
"But yes, we are thinking about a replacement. The V12 for us is an asset, it is the main reason for customers to buy our car because they are looking for the V12 and exclusivity given by the V12 and our layout [V12, mid-engined]. We know that the electrification trend is coming. So the idea is that we combine the V12 with a hybrid. Hybridization will be tuned for performance, not merely for range. It is not a car that will run for 70 or 100 km (43-62 miles) full electric," Foschini explained. "It will be less than 50km - about 30 I think. It is something we are still discussing; it is a trade-off between power and range. Power that you want to supply and range; it is about 30 to 50 km at this moment.”
