Pagani nearly hopped on the electrification bandwagon, but it shelved the project due to technical challenges and a lack of demand from its target audience. Unveiled in 2022, the Utopia could have received a V8-electric hybrid system but instead landed with a twin-turbo V12.
Speaking to our colleagues at The Drive, company founder Horacio Pagani explained that his team worked with partner Mercedes-AMG to find a suitable powertrain for the Utopia. The brand tested several options, including a hybrid drivetrain built around a twin-turbocharged V8. On paper, the setup sounds a lot like the one found in some of AMG’s models, including the GT 63 S E Performance unveiled in 2021.
An output of 831 horsepower and 1,033 pound-feet of torque makes the system supercar-worthy, but Pagani’s customers didn’t want it.
“In reality, no one is interested in a hybrid car. And I have hybrids in my collection; I have a Porsche 918 Spyder and a few more. But when it’s time for me to take a Porsche out for a spin, I’ll take my 911 R or my Carrera GT. Our clients think along those lines,” Pagani told The Drive in an interview. “I believe that if you ask people, most of them will say that a hybrid is something extraordinary because it has all the problems of an electric car and all the problems of a combustion car — along with higher [development and maintenance] costs.”
Beyond the lack of demand, the hybrid system’s motors and batteries added too much weight. Pagani explained that the hybrid prototypes his team tested were overweight by anywhere between 900 and 1,100 pounds, and this extra mass would have limited the car’s appeal.
“Our clients didn’t want anything to do with it. We have to build what the client is going to buy from us,” he said.
The demand problem also explains why Pagani hasn’t made an EV to take on Rimac, for example. It started experimenting with battery-electric technology in 2017, working with both Mercedes-AMG and Lucid, but “customers were not interested,” the brand’s founder said. In hindsight, not taking the EV route was a wise choice: Demand for electric hypercars has dropped significantly, according to Mate Rimac.
Pagani plans to make V12-powered cars for as long as possible. “We’re doing everything we can to keep the V12,” he assured The Drive. The engine that powers the Utopia is homologated until 2031. Crucially, future evolutions are homologated as well, so there’s more to come. Pagani also remains committed to the manual transmission: The Utopia and the Utopia Spider are both available with a seven-speed stick.
