Lamborghini to use ‘forgotten’ Metaverse concept 

Luxury carmaker Automobili Lamborghini is preparing to launch its sports car in the metaverse. The new model, known as the Temerario, will debut alongside its GT3 variant as limited-edition digital collectibles within the virtual world of Wilder World, the company confirmed in a press statement shared with news outlets Monday.

The Italian automaker has created 590 digital versions of the street-legal Temerario and 10 GT3 models, available starting July 11. Each digital collectible will be priced at $300. 

Minting will be possible on Wilder World, on the NFT marketplace OpenSea, and through Lamborghini’s proprietary Web3 platform, Fast ForWorld.

Lamborghini to use ‘forgotten’ Metaverse concept 

The metaverse gained intense traction during the 2021 digital asset bull market coupled with Facebook’s rebrand to Meta. Yet since then, engagement numbers dropped, and many firms jumped ship to artificial intelligence. Even after the broader markets forgot about the metaverse, Lamborghini is still ambitious about Web3.

In August 2024, the brand partnered with Hong Kong-based Animoca Brands, a Web3 venture firm and game developer, to create digital experiences for car enthusiasts and collectors. 

The collaboration is partly why Lamborghini is moving the Temerario launch to Web 3, where the car manufacturer will use a high-end automotive design to create digital car collectibles that collectors will interact with in the metaverse.

Beyond its digital presence, the Temerario is the first super sports car in the company’s history to combine a V8 twin-turbo internal combustion engine with three electric motors and a total power output of 920 CV (677 kW). 

The hybrid setup places the Temerario as the second car in Lamborghini’s HPEV (High-Performance Electrified Vehicle) lineup.

The sports car accelerates from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in just 2.7 seconds and reaches a top speed of 343 km/h. The 4.0-liter engine, with a displacement of 3995.2 cm³, is complemented by speedy electrical components and improved fuel management.

The combined fuel consumption is estimated at 11.2 liters per 100 kilometers under the WLTP standard, with CO2 emissions measured at 272 grams per kilometer. 

For performance enthusiasts focused on track usage, the Temerario comes with the optional ‘Alleggerita’ package. This lightweight configuration reduces the vehicle’s mass by over 25 kilograms through components such as carbon rims. 

Enhanced aerodynamics will see the car have a 67% increase in total downforce and a 62% boost in aerodynamic efficiency compared to the base configuration.

Metaverse is not dead yet

While the consumer-oriented vision of the metaverse has seen setbacks in recent years, the concept has not disappeared. According to a World Economic Forum report, the industrial metaverse, centered around simulation technologies, augmented reality, 3D digital twins, and sensor-based data, could be worth $100 billion globally by 2030.

Deloitte’s UK AI strategy leader Varvn Aryacetas coined the term “metaverse” as “spatial computing” between the physical and digital worlds. Examples include virtual reality-based employee training, digital prototyping, and virtual simulations of industrial sites such as manufacturing plants. 

According to a recent survey, approximately 44% of users reported participating in metaverse-related activities, such as entering virtual worlds or purchasing digital goods. Users based in the US are projected to lead the global metaverse economy, generating an estimated $32.1 billion in revenue by the end of 2025.

In 2022, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the metaverse may take up to a decade to fully materialize. He propounded that the long-term project could require more than $100 billion in total investment. 

In October of that year, after the company’s stock nosedived by more than 60% from its peak, a shareholder wrote an open letter to the board of directors asking Meta to scale back its metaverse ambitions and refocus on its social media business operations.

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