The future for combustion engines is with synthetic fuels and Lambo is onboard
June 25, 2025 at 13:50
- The Temerario’s new twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 revs to 10,000 rpm.
- Lamborghini acknowledges there’s still plenty of life left in ICEs.
- Synthetic fuels will also help to keep older Lamborghinis on the road.
The Lamborghini Temerario isn’t just a very important model for the Italian carmaker, but as it turns out, it’s also the first Lamborghini capable of running on synthetic fuels. According to the brand’s chief technical officer, the use of synthetic fuels will allow it to keep building combustion engines, even as the world continues to move swiftly towards EVs.
While some have been sad to see Lamborghini ditch its beloved V10, it hasn’t fallen into the trap of Mercedes-AMG to replace it with a boring fuel-efficient powertrain. Instead, Lamborghini developed a new 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 for the Temerario, capable of revving to 10,000 rpm – an extraordinary feat for a turbo’d engine of this size. Providing extra power is a trio of electric motors.
Read: Lamborghini’s Most Powerful Car Ever Is Coming And You’re Not Invited
During a recent interview with CarExpert, Lamborghini’s Rouven Mohr said the Temerario can run on both normal and synthetic fuels, underlining the brand’s commitment to ICEs.
“I’m not saying that synthetic fuel is better than fossil fuel, but it could be the saviour of the combustion engine,” he said. “The new engine has been designed to deliver optimal efficiency and performance with both solutions.”
Although Lamborghini acknowledges that EVs are coming, and it’s already working on its first one, Mohr confirmed that there’s still plenty of life left in combustion engines. For a brand as synonymous with thrilling engines like Lamborghini, electric powertrains are not yet “convincing” enough.
“If you ask me the emotion side at the moment, like I said before, I don’t see the [electric] solution that is convincing now,” he said. “Its time will come, trust me, because this kind of technology transformation needs longer. But we should also not make the mistake to think that it [ICE] will stop, because I can tell you, the generation that is now growing up step-by-step with the electrification of the standard cars, for them there will be a point where they say, okay, the old combustion thing is cool.”
Synthetic fuels aren’t just important for new Lamborghinis. Mohr said that “because the majority of our cars after 60 years still exist,” the carmaker needs to offer a fuel option for its older models, ensuring they can continue to run after possible ICE bans from 2035.
