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Lamborghini Lanzador concept is a megawatt wedge previewing the first Lamborghini EV

Two years ago, Lamborghini confirmed that it would launch a fully-electric car of some sort. Today, we get our first glimpse of what that will be with the Lanzador concept. It's a precursor to a production model that will be sold alongside the other mainline models such as Urus, Revuelto and the Huracan's successor. The Lanzador's styling is very obviously Lamborghini, what with its wedge shape that runs from stem to stern. The huge fenders, squinting headlights and hexagonal taillight elements are familiar, too. The question is, is it more of a squashed Urus, or a pumped-up Revuelto. We're not sure there's a wrong answer. It does seem to be something of an SUV or crossover with its relatively high ride height and the 2+2 seating position. Lamborghini calls it an "Ultra GT," which reminds us a bit of Aston Martin calling its DB12 a "super tourer." Whatever it is, it happens to have just two doors, or three if you count the rear hatchback. We particularly like the 23-inch wheels that are hexagonal renditions of classic Lambo phone-dial wheels. Just above those wheels are some nifty hidden wheel well air vents that are part of an extensive array of active aerodynamic elements to optimize either drag for efficiency or downforce for performance. Inside, two sets of aggressive-looking sport seats are available for the driver and their friends to enjoy the "Ultra GT" life. The dash consists of two cowls with screens for the driver and passenger. Down the center is a cluster of controls that looks straight out of an alien spacecraft for operating infotainment functions. The typical Lamborghini starter button with safety cover returns, and amusingly, it still references starting an engine in an electric vehicle that has no engine. Lamborghini also notes that the interior uses wool upholstery, more sustainable leather and recycled materials. Even some carbon fiber is recycled using a method that combines layers of reprocessed pieces with a more attractive top layer to finish them off. And besides space for four people, the rear cargo area seems quite spacious as well as versatile thanks to folding rear seats and the hatch. And if that's not enough, there's a front trunk, too. Mechanically, details are a little scarce, but Lamborghini says the Lanzador would feature a pair of electric motors for all-wheel drive, and output would be more than 1,300 horsepower (more than 1 megawatt as Lamborghini put it).

The mood at this year’s Paris Motor Show: Quiet

The Paris Motor Show, held every other year in the early fall, typically kicks off the annual cavalcade of automotive conclaves, one that traverses the globe between autumn and spring, introducing projective, conceptual and production-ready vehicle models to the international automotive press, automotive aficionados and a public hungry for news of our increasingly futuristic mobility enterprise. But this year, at the press preview days for the show, the grounds of the Porte de Versailles convention center felt a bit more sparsely populated than usual. This was not simply a subjective sensation, or one influenced by the center's atypically dispersed assemblage of seven discrete buildings, which tends to spread out the cars and the crowds. There were not only fewer new vehicles being premiered in Paris this year, there were fewer manufacturers there to display them. Major mainstream European OEM stalwarts such as Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Nissan and Volkswagen chose to sit out Paris this year, as did boutique manufacturers like Bentley, Aston Martin and Lamborghini. This is not simply based in some antipathy on the part of the German, British and Italian manufacturers toward the French market — though for a variety of historical and societal reasons that market may be more dominated by vehicles produced domestically than others. Rather, it is part of a larger trend in the industry. Last year, Mercedes-Benz announced that it would not be participating in the flagship North American International Auto Show in 2019 — and that it might not return. Other brands including Jaguar/Land Rover, Audi, Porsche, Mazda and nearly every exotic carmaker have also departed the Detroit show. Some of these brands will still appear in the city in which the show is taking place, and host an event offsite, to capitalize on the presence of a large number of reporters in attendance. And even brands that do have a presence at the show have shifted their vehicle introductions to the days before the official press opening in an attempt to stand out from the crowd. In many ways, this makes sense. With an expanding number of automakers, with diversification and niche-ification of models and with wholesale shifts that necessitate the introduction of EV or autonomous sub-brands, there is a growing sense that, with everyone shouting at the same time, no one can be heard.

Lamborghini Veneno makes full appearance before Geneva debut

This is it: The Lamborghini Veneno supercar that will debut later today in Geneva and, along with the the McLaren P1 and Ferrari Enzo successor, give this motor show in Switzerland no less than three world supercar premieres. A number of images of the Veneno have leaked early, which we've assembled in the attached gallery for your slack-jawed, drool-stained perusal.
The Veneno is reported to mark Lamborghini's 50th anniversary, and will be built in a production run of just three, each with a price tag of around $4.6 million and each one bearing a color of the Italian flag (green, white or red). And no, Richie Rich, you can't have one, because all three are already sold.
As for its mechanicals, the Veneno is supposedly based on the Aventador, which makes sense, though it wears a completely different carbon fiber body that's even more extreme than other recent hypercars from Lamborghini, including the Sesto Elemento and Reventon. It will almost certainly be powered by Lamborghini's 6.5-liter V12 producing around 740 horsepower, while a seven-speed single-clutch transmission will carve up that output on the way to the Veneno's reported top speed of 220 miles per hour.