Lamborghini and Audi have been in bed under the Volkswagen Group for what seems like eons now. And part of the benefits of that relationship is spreading out costs for model development because investing a lot of money in a niche product entails taking a lot of financial risks.
The first and second-generation R8 models shared the same underpinnings with the Gallardo and Huracan. But Ingolstadt has now made it clear that there won’t be a third, while Sant’Agata has declared that a brand-new baby Lambo will make its debut in 2024.
After many successful years, the Huracan replacement will be an all-Lamborghini endeavor, according to Asia-Pacific area director Francesco Scardaoni. So where did all that money needed for an all-new model development come from? The success of the Urus of course. The Urus is to Lamborghini what the Cayenne is to Porsche, both are savior models.
Purists who were initially up in arms now consider the Urus to be a necessary evil as the company’s success is largely due to its enormous popularity. The brand’s best-ever year was 2022, when it had a turnover of €2.38 billion (RM12 billion) and an operating profit of 25.9%. Deliveries increased to a record-breaking 9,233 units, of which 5,367 were the Urus, and it made an operational profit of €614 million (RM3.1 billion).
Scardaoni claims Lamborghini is free to design the Huracan replacement as a custom product without making any concessions because there is no mechanically similar Audi R8 planned. It will ride on a brand-new platform created especially for the supercar, while the executive left the door open to sharing it with other Volkswagen Group members. The hardware will initially only be accessible to Lamborghini.
The Huracan has been discontinued in the sense that orders for one are no longer being taken. Yes, until the supercar is decommissioned the following year, production is sold out. Lamborghini has been coy about its replacement, as is only natural, but we do know that it will be hit by the downsizing bug. It will replace the naturally aspirated V10 with a more compact plug-in hybrid system, perhaps built on a twin-turbo V8.
The fact that Lamborghini will make use of the same eight-speed, dual-clutch automatic gearbox as the Revuelto is one of the few definite facts. There is a rumour that the electric motor will be sandwiched between the V8 and DCT, and that the turbochargers won’t engage until 7,000 rpm. Due to the increasingly strict pollution standards, even Lamborghini must choose the hybrid road.
The Revuelto is a PHEV as well, and after multiple spy images of prototypes in testing, we’ll also see an electrified Urus next year. The company’s first entirely electric model will be a 2+2 grand tourer, which should arrive around 2028.
A third-generation R8 vehicle with an ICE powertrain was decided against by Audi in favour of an electric variant that would follow. The Huracan’s successor will continue to run on petrol, though it might forego the V10 in favour of a twin-turbo V8. Whatever the case, it will undoubtedly cause a commotion when it debuts somewhere around 2025.
