The world is changing and that isn’t just a nod at the current global pandemic and its implications but at the automotive industry as well. While naturally aspirated engines evoke all kinds of emotions, they have been disregarded because they weren’t that environment friendly. Manufacturers are gradually shifting towards hybrid and electric powertrains. The thought of a hybrid Lamborghini might plaster a frown on the faces of some purists but trust the Italian marque to hit it out of the park in this department too.
Lamborghini recently unveiled its roofless hybrid sportscar named Sian roadster and that gives us a hint at what we can expect from Lamborghini and their future endeavours. It might be the sharpest looking Lamborghini ever made and has the performance to back up those razor-sharp looks.
The design
The design language is rather futuristic and loses absolutely none of the coupe’s wild styling. The front end is a gorgeous culmination of sharp edges and junctions, especially around the headlights, where the running light seemingly travels from the fender all the way to the nose. The rear end doesn’t disappoint either and is busy as Indian roads during peak hour traffic. The taillights are hexagonally shaped and scream ‘Lamborghini’ from every angle you look at it.
Smaller touches like the side intakes and hydraulic rear wing make everything a bit more special. Put simply, it’s the best looking Lamborghini in recent memory, despite being completely over the top. The Sian points toward the future for Lamborghini’s design language. ‘Sián’ translates to ‘flash’ or ‘lightning’ in English and that hints at the electric era Lamborghini is approaching.
The powertrain
Addressing the elephant in the room now, despite being super sultry, super rare, it is actually super powerful too! In addition to a potent 6.5-litre V12 gas engine, there’s a 48-volt electric motor built into the seven-speed automated manual transmission that delivers 34 horsepower and can be used to reverse or park under electricity alone. The whole unit puts out 819 horsepower. Lamborghini says all that grunt shoves the Sian Roadster to 100 kays an hour in under 2.9 seconds and onward to a top speed of 218 mph (350 kph).
Inside, the lightweight roadster keeps much of the coupe’s cabin, with the open-air Lambo getting white and grey seats that are matched with blue detailing. For production, customers will be offered 3D printed air vents that can be personalised with their initials. The star player of the show lies under the rear boot-lid. Instead of using conventional batteries, Lamborghini has deployed supercapacitors. They charge quicker than batteries and have the added advantage of weight reduction. It only adds 34kg of mass and allows the Sian to travel up to 130km/h for 10km on pure-electric power alone.
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Where the Sian coupe gets 63 units, the roadster gets less than one-third of that, with just 19 to be built. This may not be shocking, but all are sold out. Each owner will get a chance to work with Lamborghini to customize their perfect car. If this is how future Lamborghinis will look and perform, we are in for an absolute treat!