Lamborghini's first application of hybrid technology won't improve the Sián FKP 37's fuel consumption, shocking nobody.
Based on the Aventador SVJ, the Sián FKP 37 is similarly equipped with a furious 6.5-liter V12 engine, sports the familiar fighter-jet styling, and shares the active aero technology. So why does it cost over two million bucks more?
In a word, supercapacitor. Lamborghini’s first hybrid electric car is no plug-in. No heavy batteries are weighing down the formidable wedge of steel, titanium, and carbon fiber. Instead, a supercapacitor employs a regenerative braking system enabling it to store energy at lightning speed and discharge it with similar immediacy.
On those rare occasions when owners of the FKP 37 find enough road and courage to explore its performance envelope, the energy developed braking hard into the corners charges the supercapacitor, which can immediately discharge the power to an electric motor, adding an instantaneous 34 horsepower.
Next to the 800 horses the Sián produces in total, 34 may seem inconsequential, but the electric motor provides the additional boost when needed most, helping to catapult the Sián hybrid out of the corners. Unsurprisingly then, Lamborghini's first application of hybrid technology is a performance innovation that will do nothing to improve fuel economy.
Not that it matters, because the Sián is a limited-edition showpiece that costs the same as a house in Beverly Hills. Nonetheless, Lamborghini has invested heavily in researching battery and supercapacitor technology and plans to extend the model lineup to include electric options. The electric hypercar technology of today will drive the sports sedans of tomorrow. Expect Lamborghini to lead the way in building hybrid cars that appeal to those of us who don’t really want them.
