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

concept Concepts are defined as abstract ideas. They are understood to be the fundamental building blocks of the concept behind principles, thoughts and beliefs. They play an important role in all aspects of cognition. As such, concepts are studied by s ...

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. The basic princip ...

manufactured by Italian automobile manufacturer

Lamborghini Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. () is an Italian brand and manufacturer of luxury sports cars and SUVs based in Sant'Agata Bolognese. The company is owned by the Volkswagen Group through its subsidiary Audi. Ferruccio Lamborghini (1916–1993) ...

, which was unveiled at the 2014 Paris Motor Show. The car is named after a

Minotaur In Greek mythology, the Minotaur ( , ;. grc, ; in Latin as ''Minotaurus'' ) 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 "pa ...

called

Asterion In Greek mythology, Asterion (Greek: , gen.: , literally "starry") or Asterius () may refer to the following figures: * Asterion, one of the Potamoi. * Asterius, one of the Giants. * Asterion, an attendant of the starry-god Astraeus. * Aster ...

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 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, due to a combination of performance and luxury attributes. The most common format is a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive two-door coupé with either ...

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 The Lamborghini Aventador () is a mid-engine sportscar produced by the Italian automotive manufacturer Lamborghini. In keeping with Lamborghini tradition, the Aventador is named after a Spanish fighting bull that fought in Zaragoza, Aragón in ...

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 ''CNET'' (short for "Computer Network") is an American media website that publishes reviews, news, articles, blogs, podcasts, and videos on technology and consumer electronics globally. ''CNET'' originally produced content for radio and televi ...

. Retrieved June 15, 2017 was introduced as a 'technology demonstrator'.

Stephan Winkelmann Stephan Winkelmann (born 18 October 1964) is a German manager and has been President of Bugatti Automobiles since January 1, 2018 and also President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. since December 1, 2020. Life As a young child, Winke ...

, 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 is a limited-production mid-engine plug-in hybrid sports car produced by British automobile manufacturer McLaren Automotive. Debuted at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, sales of the P1 began in the United Kingdom in October 2013 and al ...

and the

Porsche 918 Spyder The Porsche 918 Spyder is a limited-production mid-engine plug-in hybrid sports car manufactured by German automobile manufacturer Porsche. The 918 Spyder is powered by a naturally aspirated V8 engine, developing at 8,700RPM, with two electric ...

Other media

The car made its video game debut in the

racing video game Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic rac ...

Real Racing 3 ''Real Racing 3'' is a 2013 racing game developed by Firemonkeys Studios and published by Electronic Arts for iOS, Android, Nvidia Shield and BlackBerry 10 devices. It was released on iOS and Android on February 28, 2013, under the freemium bu ...

'' in a 2015 update. The car is also featured in Gameloft's Asphalt 8: Airborne and Asphalt 9: Legends.

Gallery

File:Lamborghini Asterion 006.JPG File:Lamborghini Asterion 004.JPG File:Lamborghini Asterion Concept 20170101 175758.jpg File:Lamborghini Asterion - 2014 Paris Motor Show 02.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