The Detroit Motor Show that took place last week was easily one of the most important for the auto industry to debut new and future cars. Let’s take a look at what some of the supercar manufacturers have unveiled which has led the crowds to Detroit this year.

Perhaps, there’s no need to canvass harder and find out more which direction an automotive company is headed. There seem to be a relentless march towards electrification these days. All types of automakers who did not have an SUV in its model line-up, have already, or will soon be producing its own when comes to the range so as to keep up in that part of the industry.

Luxury and supercar brands, such as Ferrari has confirmed that it will soon have its first-ever SUV by late 2019 or 2020, McLaren is already testing electric-only prototypes, Lamborghini has already taken on their SUV rivals with the premiere of the brand’s SUV Urus and the all-new Alfa Romeo SUV will be bringing electrification to the brand, Bentley will be launching its first-ever electrified model in the shape of the Bentayga PHEV and the new Jaguar XJ could debut this year with an all-electric platform.

At this year’s Detroit Auto Show, both SUVs and crossovers were in the spotlight and the preferred choice for buyers due to a shift in consumer’s tastes for larger vehicles, and gasoline are offered at relatively low prices.

“They’re really riding what’s selling now,” said Randy Miller, global automotive and transportation leader at Ernst & Young, noting that profit margins on larger vehicles dwarf those of smaller vehicles.

When looking at car buying patterns among the luxury market brands, the only premium car maker that bucked the trend was Porsche. It too reported that 5,555 cars were sold, making it the best ever monthly sales figure achieved in the US. There were huge demands for sportscars; Porsche 911, 718 Cayman and 718 Boxster had driven a new US sales record. “Our two-door sports cars showed impressive double-digit growth versus last year,” said Porsche North America’s CEO Klaus Zellmer.

Image courtesy of Newspress/Lamborghini

Lamborghini considering hybridisation of next Aventador

The most anticipated offering for the luxury car brands will most probably be electrification cars which the industry is also going to figure in future plans. Lamborghini has already gone down the SUV track, and the next big thing on the Italian supercar manufacturer’s list of things to do that look pretty significant appears to be “hybridisation”, possibly with a future version of the legendary Aventador.

Speaking at Motor Authority at the Detroit Auto Show last week, Lamborghini’s head of research and development, Maurizio Reggiani said: “We must decide what will be the future of the super sports car in terms of electric contribution.”

According to AFP Relax News, it reported that “Some may assume the problem with developing an electrified powertrain for a car like the Aventador would be getting the kind of performance required for such a model, but the likes of the Porsche 918 and McLaren P1 have shown performance isn’t an issue for hybrid supercars.”

Like the Terzo Millennio, which Lamborghini has envisioned the car to be the electric supercar of the future, shares a similar problem – the weight of batteries, which is a particular problem for the Aventador as it already weighs in at a whopping 1,853 kg. Mentioned the source, “In fact, weight is already such an issue with the Aventador that even a dual-clutch gearbox, which would seem like a must-have for a next-generation Aventador, isn’t going to be approved until it justifies the extra weight it brings over the present single-clutch unit.

Image courtesy of Newspress/Lamborghini

“The Aventador already uses lightweight carbon fiber for its bodywork, so the developers can’t drop a whole load of weight by changing what the car is made from.

“Even so, it’s really just a matter of when rather than if hybridisation comes to Lamborghini, and it’s much the same story with turbocharging. The Urus will almost certainly be getting a hybrid powertrain soon, and a next-generation Huracan is likely to go hybrid in 2022. As Euro 6 emissions aren’t getting less stringent anytime soon, it’s only a matter of time before the Lamborghini flagship has to adopt at least some level of electrification.”

Visit the official website of Lamborghini to view the latest car models.