1
NEWS
Lamborghini to go hybrid
... But not just yetPetrol-electric hybrid and even turbocharged technology will find its way into future Lamborghinis, its President has confirmed, but the Italian supercar maker is in no rush to get there.
President and CEO Stephan Winkelmann last week insisted that a full-scale revolution was coming to the once-immune segment that would throw conventional supercar thinking out the window.
“The next decade and a half will be revolutionary compared to what we experienced in the last 50 years, especially with the powertrains,” Mr Winkelmann insisted.
That doesn’t mean, however, that Lamborghini is in a rush to electrify its Aventador and upcoming Huracan (pictured) sports cars, but it’s not ignoring the realities of a more economical and environmentally friendly world, either.
The new Huracan has slashed 11 per cent from the fuel consumption figure of the Gallardo, introducing Start-Stop, cylinder deactivation and a combination of direct and indirect fuel injection to pull its emissions figure down to 290g/km.
“We are ready for whenever it will be necessary to use something else. It’s important to remember that it’s not always necessary to be the first with some of these technologies and innovations,” he said.
It’s a view backed up by Ulrich Hackenberg, the head of engineering at Lamborghini’s parent company, Audi, who has been busy pre-engineering Lamborghini for future-proofing low-emission technology.
“If we go to some countries in the future there may be some limits to this naturally aspirated technology and, in these scenarios, we are looking at our alternatives,” Dr Hackenberg insisted.
“We will sell cars all over the world and where it’s necessary we will introduce other concepts.”
Winkelmann also confirmed that Lamborghini’s Research and Development department, headed up by Maurizio Reggiani, was soaking up more than 20 per cent of the brand’s annual turnover, and indications are that much of it was being invested in research for future electrification and turbocharging of the Italian brand’s powertrains.
But, Mr Reggiani warned, don’t expect it to arrive within the lifespan of the Huracan, expected to be closer to seven years than the Gallardo’s decade-long reign.
“It’s clear that we look in a worldwide view with homologation regulations in different countries,” Mr Reggiani said. “We have to fulfill all that as requested from around the world, but we have to combine it with our DNA.
“What we feel in our stomach is a naturally aspirated engine. If there is some technology that makes us change our minds or if something like a law that makes it change to something like turbocharging or downsizing then we will introduce that. Until then we are proud of our V10 and V12.”
Register to comment on this article.
Share this article
Written byMichael Taylor
See all articlesOur team of independent expert car reviewers and journalistsMeet the team
Stay up to dateBecome a carsales member and get the latest news, reviews and advice straight to your inbox.
Subscribe todayRelated articles
Disclaimer
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
Contact
Advertise with us
Local marketplaces
International marketplaces
Scan to download the carsales app
Want more info? Here’s our app landing page
App Store and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc. Google Play and the Google Play logo
are trademarks of Google LLC.