The Lamborghini Asterion LPI 910-4 (LPI being an abbreviation for ''Longitudinale Posteriore Ibrido'') is a

concept A concept is an abstract idea that serves as a foundation for more concrete principles, thoughts, and beliefs. Concepts play an important role in all aspects of cognition. As such, concepts are studied within such disciplines as linguistics, ...

hybrid car A hybrid vehicle is one that uses two or more distinct types of power, such as submarines that use diesel when surfaced and batteries when submerged. Other means to store energy include pressurized fluid in hydraulic hybrids. Hybrid powertrain ...

manufactured by Italian automobile manufacturer

Lamborghini Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. ( , ), usually referred to as Lamborghini or colloquially Lambo, is an Italian manufacturer of luxury sports cars and SUVs based in Sant'Agata Bolognese. The company is owned by the Volkswagen Group through its su ...

, which was unveiled at the

2014 Paris Motor Show The 2014 Paris Mondial de l'Automobile or 2014 Paris Motor Show took place from 4 October to 19 October 2014 on 'Automobile and Fashion' theme. Introductions Production cars * Audi A1 facelift * Audi A6 facelift * Audi TT Roadster * Audi ...

. The car is named after a

Minotaur In Greek mythology, the Minotaur (, ''Mīnṓtauros''), also known as Asterion, is a mythical creature portrayed during classical antiquity with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, a being "par ...

called

Asterion In Greek mythology, Asterion (Ancient Greek, Greek: , gen.: , literally "starry") or Asterius () may refer to the following figures: * Asterion (god), Asterion, one of the River gods (Greek mythology), river gods. * Asterius (giant), Asterius ...

and was to be Lamborghini's first hybrid model. The half man – half bull Minotaur was chosen keeping in mind Lamborghini's tradition of naming their cars after a bull while alluding to its usage of different modes of power.

Specifications and performance

The Asterion has a mid-mounted V10 engine shared with the

Huracán Huracán (; ; , "one legged"), often referred to as ''U Kʼux Kaj'', the "Heart of Sky", is a Kʼicheʼ Maya god of wind, storm, fire and one of the creator deities who participated in all three attempts at creating humanity. He also caused th ...

generating a maximum power output of and twin electric motors on the front axle besides a lithium-ion battery pack generating a combined power of . The batteries are placed in the central shaft, which improves the car's safety and center of gravity. The car features a torque vectoring system, a system typical on hybrid sports cars. The Asterion has a top speed of which reduces to when running solely on electric power. The car can accelerate to in three seconds. The car is classified as a

grand tourer A grand tourer (GT) is a type of car that is designed for high speed and long-distance driving with performance and luxury. The most common format is a Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, front-engine, rear-wheel-drive two-door coupé with ...

and has a battery range of . The hybrid technology adds to the overall weight of the car. The car has a sharp angular design and has a carbon-fibre

monocoque Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, ...

borrowed from the Aventador along with carbon-fiber composite plastic body panels. The interior has a minimalistic layout and has ivory leather upholstery and has a carbon-fiber, aluminium and titanium trim with the seats placed higher and the windshield more vertical than traditional Lamborghini models in order for additional comfort, signifying the grand touring nature of the car. The Asterion also has more storage space than the typical Lamborghini models. It contains three driving modes namely "Zero" (full electric mode), "Ibrido" (which runs the car on the combined power of the engine and the electric motors) and "Termico" (which runs the car on the engine only). The modes can be selected via buttons on the steering wheel.

Cancellation

The car, which was to become Lamborghini's first hybrid model,Miller, Josh (October 2, 2014),
Lamborghini debuts 910 horsepower Asterion plug-in hybrid
," CNET. Retrieved June 15, 2017 was introduced as a 'technology demonstrator'.

Stephan Winkelmann Stephan Winkelmann (born 18 October 1964) is a German automotive executive who is the President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. since December 1, 2020. Life As a young child, Winkelmann moved with his parents from Berlin to Rome, as ...

, then President and CEO of Lamborghini, stated in an interview with ''Autocar'' that the Asterion would not enter production and was being shelved in favor of the Urus SUV. According to him, it was done on the basis of customer reaction which favored hybrid technology only if it came with added performance. The car was planned to compete with similar hybrid cars, including the

McLaren P1 The McLaren P1 (codenamed P12) is a flagship sports car produced by British marque McLaren Automotive. Styled by American car designer Frank Stephenson, it is the second installment in McLaren's Ultimate Series after the McLaren F1. Considered ...

and the

Porsche 918 Spyder The Porsche 918 Spyder is a high performance sports car manufactured by German marque Porsche. The 918 Spyder is a plug-in hybrid powered by a mid-mounted naturally aspirated V8 engine, developing at 8,700RPM, with two electric motors deliveri ...

Gallery

File:Lamborghini Asterion 006.JPG File:Lamborghini Asterion 004.JPG File:Lamborghini Asterion 007.JPG File:Lamborghini Asterion engine cover.jpg

References

External links

{{Commons category, Lamborghini Asterion LPI910/4

2010s cars Grand tourers Rear mid-engine, all-wheel-drive vehicles