Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Automotive News
  • Automobilwoche
  • Automotive News Canada
  • Automotive News China
Subscribe
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters
  • Login
  • HOME
    • Latest news
    • Automakers
    • Suppliers
    • New Product
    • Environment/Emissions
    • Sales By Market
    • On The Move
    • Auto Shows
    • Munich Auto Show
    • Geneva Auto Show
    • Paris Auto Show
    • Beijing Auto Show
    • Shanghai Auto Show
  • Features
    • Long Read
    • Interview of the Month
    • Focus on Electrification
    • Focus on Technology
    • Segment Analysis
    • Cars & Concepts
    • Supplier Spotlight
    • Europe By The Numbers
  • Opinion
    • Blogs
    • Commentary
    • Guest columnists
  • Photos
    • Photo Galleries
    • Geneva Photo Gallery
    • Beijing Photo Gallery
    • Frankfurt Photo Gallery
    • Paris Photo Gallery
    • Shanghai Photo Gallery
  • Podcasts
  • Car Cutaways
  • EVENTS
    • ANE Congress
    • ANE Rising Stars
    • ANE Eurostars
    • Meet the 2021 winners
    • Browse photos from the 2021 awards ceremony
  • More
    • Publishing Partners
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
    • Media Kit
    • About Us
    • Capgemini: Securing the industry's future through a radical rethink
    • Capgemini: Succeeding with the automated driving journey through AI
    • HEXAGON: Plugging into data is the only way to make winning EVs
    • TUV Rheinland: Battery testing center for large battery packs and more
    • TUV Rheinland: Ideas, services and certifications for smart mobility
    • TUV Rheinland: Testing of automated and autonomous vehicles on test tracks
    • Toyota Europe
    • UFI Filters
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Automakers
June 10, 2019 02:53 AM

Lamborghini concept hints at move to less extreme looks

Eric Gallina
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    OEM04_302029934_AR_-1_YMRWNDJXMAMJ.jpg

    The Asterion concept's design features include headlights with high-tech materials such as titanium, forged carbon fiber and aluminum.

    When Lamborghini design boss Filippo Perini and his team started work on the Asterion concept -- the Italian supercar maker's first plug-in hybrid -- they wanted to create a look that moved away from the angular and aggressive forms of recent Lamborghini models.

    For the Asterion, which debuted in October at the Paris auto show, they sought to borrow less extreme features from renowned Lamborghinis of the past, such as the Miura.

    "We need to understand if we can open another window in our future to be not so extreme but also a little bit more politically correct and elegant," Perini said.

    A key reason for the design shift was that the Asterion rides differently from Lamborghini's current models. As Perini describes it, in most Lamborghinis occupants have the sensation of being pushed by the car's power. The feeling in the Asterion is akin to being pulled.

    "For this reason we decided that this car needed a new dress, a dress that is much more classic, much more GT, and inspired by the Miura," he said.

    Perini points out that Lamborghini started as a maker of Grand Turismo-style cars such as the 350GT. Later, founder Ferruccio Lamborghini built cars more aggressively shaped such as the Espada, Jalpa and Urraco, all of which established the company's design direction.

    "We were taking inspiration from our heritage" in the Asterion, says Perini. "You can see flavors of the Miura and flavors of the Espada, and this is because of the platform."

    Modern and traditional

    The Asterion's more modern design features include headlights with high-tech materials such as titanium, forged carbon fiber and aluminum. The new look is woven together with typical Lamborghini design features such as exposed screws and hexagonal shapes.

    The hexagon treatment is echoed in the composite engine cover and exhaust tips as well as the front grilles and side air intakes. The rear of the car also recalls the company's history while referencing more contemporary Lambos such as Huracan and Veneno, albeit with different proportions.

    "The rear end is close to the Miura feeling," Perini said. "You have the same size impression, the same solution of lines. In every detail we are pushing modernity and luxury but the surrounding is traditional, it's classic."

    Though the Miura also inspired the Asterion's three-spoke steering wheel, the interior is very close to the recently launched Huracan, with a horizontal, symmetric dashboard and a longitudinal tunnel that, in this case, houses the car's battery pack. The air vents, door handles and switches also are shared with Lamborghini's production supercars.

    Tech-laden interior

    "What we did was improve the ergonomics to have better roominess," Perini said. "We reduced the dimension of the rocker to have a better entrance, we have a very comfortable seat and we have a raised H-point, which means you can drive the car in a very different way."

    The higher seating height is a big switch for Lamborghini. In the Asterion the driver has the view of the front fender.

    "You can see the color of the car," Perini said. "That is something unknown in our very extreme designs."

    The interior also is laden with technology such as the thin-film transistor screen's reconfigurable graphics for the car's different driving modes. There's also a touch-screen infotainment pad, which can be detached and used by the passenger.

    "This is something we are looking at," Perini says. "A different use of the car -- a daily use of the car."

    He says the Asterion's design language does not signal a radical forthcoming change to the company's design identity.

    "We will continue to produce really extreme supercars," he said, "but our goal is to understand if the [Asterion's] design language will be appreciated by a different kind of customer."

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Toyota cuts June output plan again as China lockdowns bite
    Recommended for You
    Japan Prius production
    Toyota cuts June output plan again as China lockdowns bite
    Tesla Model Ys in Gruenheide
    Tesla submits application to expand German plant, report says
    Ashwani Gupta Nissan Sunderland July 2021
    UK automaking at risk as Jaguar Land Rover looks elsewhere for batteries
    Sign up for free newsletters
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    Get Free Newsletters

    Sign up and get the best of Automotive News Europe delivered straight to your email inbox, free of charge. Choose your news – we will deliver.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    SUBSCRIBE TODAY

    Get 24/7 access to in-depth, authoritative coverage of the auto industry from a global team of reporters and editors covering the news that’s vital to your business.

    SUBSCRIBE NOW
    Connect with Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Instagram

    Founded in 1996, Automotive News Europe is the preferred information source for decision-makers and opinion leaders operating in Europe.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI  48207-2997
    Tel: +1 877-812-1584

    Email Us

    ISSN 2643-6590 (print)
    ISSN 2643-6604 (online)

     

    Resources
    • About us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Awards
    • Rising Stars
    • Eurostars
    • Leading Women
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Automotive News Europe
    Copyright © 1996-2022. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • HOME
      • Latest news
      • Automakers
      • Suppliers
      • New Product
      • Environment/Emissions
      • Sales By Market
      • On The Move
      • Auto Shows
        • Munich Auto Show
        • Geneva Auto Show
        • Paris Auto Show
        • Beijing Auto Show
        • Shanghai Auto Show
    • Features
      • Long Read
      • Interview of the Month
      • Focus on Electrification
      • Focus on Technology
      • Segment Analysis
      • Cars & Concepts
      • Supplier Spotlight
      • Europe By The Numbers
    • Opinion
      • Blogs
      • Commentary
      • Guest columnists
    • Photos
      • Photo Galleries
      • Geneva Photo Gallery
      • Beijing Photo Gallery
      • Frankfurt Photo Gallery
      • Paris Photo Gallery
      • Shanghai Photo Gallery
    • Podcasts
    • Car Cutaways
    • EVENTS
      • ANE Congress
      • ANE Rising Stars
        • Meet the 2021 winners
      • ANE Eurostars
        • Browse photos from the 2021 awards ceremony
    • More
      • Publishing Partners
        • Capgemini: Securing the industry's future through a radical rethink
        • Capgemini: Succeeding with the automated driving journey through AI
        • HEXAGON: Plugging into data is the only way to make winning EVs
        • TUV Rheinland: Battery testing center for large battery packs and more
        • TUV Rheinland: Ideas, services and certifications for smart mobility
        • TUV Rheinland: Testing of automated and autonomous vehicles on test tracks
        • Toyota Europe
        • UFI Filters
      • Social Media
        • Facebook
        • Instagram
        • LinkedIn
        • Twitter
      • Contact Us
      • Media Kit
      • About Us