The Lamborghini Revuelto Is Lambo's 1,001-Horsepower Aventador Successor

• The first all-new Lamborghini V12 supercar in almost a decade.
• Incredible performance from a hybridized powertrain and jaw-dropping looks from every angle.
• All-new tech marks a new starting point for Lamborghini.

Meet the new Lamborghini flagship. It's called the Revuelto and it's the first truly new V12-powered Lamborghini in more than a decade. It's the latest in a 60-year lineage of 12-cylinder flagships that spans the Miura, Countach, Diablo, Murcielago and its immediate predecessor, the Aventador. The Revuelto is up there with the most radical of them all. It features styling that's inspired by the Sián, Lamborghini's supercapacitor-equipped special edition, and it's nearly as extreme-looking in today's world as the Countach was when it debuted in 1974.

The name Revuelto comes, as you might expect, from a Spanish fighting bull that fought way back in 1880. But its name has another meaning. In Spanish the word "Revuelto" means to "mix up." It's the sign of a big shift from Lamborghini, because this is the first plug-in hybrid supercar the company has ever made, and it's going to set the tone for Lamborghini's electrified future.

It's hard to talk about a new Lamborghini without going into detail about the way it looks, so we'll start there. The Revuelto is defined by two lines. The first starts at the nose and runs upward along the haunches of the car — a strong shoulder that ends right at the taillights. The other begins at the base of the front pillar, swoops over the passenger compartment, and meets the first at the top of the rear wheel arch. The blacked-out sideways hourglass design up front is meant to both look imposing, collect airflow and purposefully direct it. But it's not all looks — the new, mostly carbon fiber chassis is both lighter than the Aventador's and 25% stiffer, too.

Of course, there is plenty of aerodynamic trickery built into the Revuelto's design. A deep front splitter combines with an active rear wing, and the result is a maximum of 33% more downforce at the front and 74% more at the rear compared to the Aventador Ultimae (the final and most advanced iteration of the Aventador). Those with a keen eye for detail will notice the flying buttresses near that jut out of the top of the rear fenders and connect to the rear pillar to help direct airflow. There are also two NACA ducts in front of the rear wheelwells to collect errant airflow and redirect it to cool the rear brakes as well as side intakes to direct air to the massive engine that sits amidships.

Speaking of engines, Lamborghini fans will be happy to know that the Revuelto hasn't succumbed to the world's ever-tightening emissions regulations and still features a naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12. Only here the engine has done a complete 180-degree turn compared to the Aventador, and the new eight-speed dual-clutch transmission is now positioned at the rear of the car instead of in the central tunnel. That central tunnel now houses a 3.8-kWh lithium-ion battery pack.

According to Lamborghini, when the Revuelto is plugged into a Level 2 charging station, it takes about 30 minutes to recharge the battery. Like other hybrids, the battery can be recharged via regenerative braking or by employing the V12 engine itself (Lamborghini says it takes six minutes to recharge the battery using the engine).

At 481 pounds, the V12 itself has shed around 37 pounds compared to the iteration in the Aventador. It's also more powerful thanks to refinements made to the air intake ducts, optimization of the combustion chambers, and improved fluid dynamics of the exhaust. In other words, lots of fancy engine work went into this screaming V12. The result is 814 horsepower at 9,250 rpm and 535 lb-ft of torque at 6,750 rpm. The V12 itself, however, can rev all the way to 9,500 rpm. Yes, it's over 9,000.

Two of the three electric motors are mounted at the front axle, each powering one wheel. The third is positioned above the transmission, and this motor is capable of powering the rear wheels "depending on the selected driving mode and the conditions," according to Lamborghini. All told, the electric motors and V12 combine for 1,001 horsepower. For those of you with long memories, 1,001 horsepower is the same amount the original Bugatti Veyron debuted with in 2004. While it's not as earth-shattering a figure as it might have been almost 20 years ago, keep in mind this V12 doesn't use forced induction (the Veyron famously featured four turbochargers) and has to meet far tighter emissions regulations than the Veyron did.

The front electric motors feature torque vectoring to route power exactly where it's needed, along with regenerative braking to feed energy back to the battery pack. Interestingly, when driving solely on electric power, only the Revuelto's front wheels are powered to conserve energy. (Yep, in certain circumstances, this Lambo is front-wheel-drive.) The third electric motor can also provide power to the rear in certain drive modes, giving the Revuelto full electric all-wheel drive. Since the Revuelto has no reverse gear, the front motors are also employed to back the Lambo out of a parking space, and again, the third motor can be activated if you need to back up quickly.

The Revuelto's interior is less radical than its exterior or engineering, and appears to be an evolution of the Aventador's design. A spacious cabin has never really been Lamborghini's concern, but there is slightly more headroom and legroom than in the Aventador. It's also loaded with interesting geometries that make it feel like a true supercar, and there are bound to be high-quality materials everywhere you look and touch.

There is also a new, customizable 12.3-inch instrument cluster in front of the driver as well as an 8.4-inch central touchscreen. An additional 9.1-inch display sits in front of the passenger so they know just how fast you're going when you find yourself some open autostrada.

In addition to a plethora of screens, the Revuelto adds a bunch of new tech to Lamborghini. There are 13 drive modes, split between combinations of three regenerative braking modes (Recharge, Hybrid and Performance) and four dynamic modes, Cittá (city), Strada, Sport and Corsa (track). These join an EV-only mode and a number of others for an experience that can be tailored to whatever environment you might be facing in your new supercar.

The Revuelto also offers a suite of advanced driver assist systems too. Lane departure warning, rear cross-traffic warning, blind-spot warning, and adaptive cruise control might help make your $400,000 supercar a bit more wieldy on the streets or on longer, continent-spanning road trips. The Revuelto is destined for Laborghini's most ardent and some of their wealthiest clientele, and they'll be able to place their order (and customize the Revuelto to their heart's content in one of 400 different water-based paints) later this year.

Edmunds says

There is a lot of trick tech that helps make the Revuelto one of the most interesting and important Lamborghinis in a long time, but all we can think about is what it's like to drive. Stay tuned.