Lamborghini Reveals The Asterion: Its First Hybrid Vehicle With Top Speed Of 199 MPH

Take a deep breath because Lamborghini has done a very rare thing. They have unveiled the very first concept gasoline-electric hybrid Lamborghini at the Paris Motor Show.

Its full official name is the Lamborghini Asterion LPI 910-4. Thanks to Auto Blog, we have a complete breakdown of exactly what all those letters and numbers mean for those who haven’t yet figured it out. Asterion, according to Greek Mythology, stands for “Minotaur” — part man, part bull. Pretty daring, right?

LPI is for Longitudinal Posterior Ibrido (Itialian for Hybrid), ensuring you this is a “mid-engine supercar” as it references the location of the 610-horsepower V10 and the hybrid drivetrain.

The “910” represents the amount of metric horsepower this hot baby blows, while the “4” means it’s an all-wheel drive.

The Verge reports that 300 of that 910 metric horsepower comes from the three electric motors. This means the Lamborghini Asterion can operate with the full 910 HP or it can pump it up in solid electric mode, “which delivers power to motors mounted in the front axle alone.”

How much power, you ask? How does 0-62 in three seconds sound? The Asterion can also blow your socks off at 199 MPH, or up to 78 MPH in pure electric mode. Nothing to sneeze at there.

Basically, it’s a super hot and fast sporty machine — that’s a hybrid. This Lamborghini hybrid gets 57 MPG while also being capable of traveling 31 miles on a single charge while in it’s full electric mode, as reported by Road And Track.

Digital Trends reports that this two-seater’s doors open outward, revealing a much roomier interior than other Lamborghini vehicles. “The roof, windshield, and seats all sit significantly higher than any other modern Lamborghini super sports car,” according to Digital Trends.

The driver will sit in a lap of ivory and tan leather luxury. The dashboard is very sleek and clean in its design, which has a center portable tablet that controls the climate, navigation and infotainment.

Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann admits to Digital Trends that the Asterion “would not exist if it weren’t for the coming 2021 European emissions standards, which set a maximum CO2 emissions at 95g/km.” Winkelmann doesn’t believe that the hybrid technology is the best solution, especially when Lamborghini sports cars are included.

The main reason Winkelmann feels this way is because hybrid components add a great deal of weight to the car, thus detracting from the overall handling of the sports car.

There has been no confirmation as to whether or not Lamborghini will in fact build the Asterion, and if so, one can only imagine the cost. But looking at the concept, Asterion is enough to make one dream.

Photo Credit: DigitalTrends.com, RoadandTrack.com