2023 Lamborghini Urus S on 2040-cars

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Lamborghini Huracan could become an 850-hp PHEV next year

So far, Lamborghini is celebrating 2022 with record sales and odes to the internal combustion engine thanks to a raft of special editions. The Italian automaker's plunge into electrification starts next year with the next-generation Huracan and its plug-in hybrid powertrain. Lamborghini's head of research and development said, "The engine will be bespoke for Lamborghini. On the final details we can’t yet communicate this, but I would say more than six and less than 12 cylinders for the combustion engine." The easy (well, easier...) option would be to tweak one of the Volkswagen Group's twin-turbo V8s to work with a pair or trio of electric motors. Auto Express says its sources suggest two bits of intel on that engine, the first being that it could be an in-house design "not sourced from VW Group," the second that combined output might exceed 850 horsepower. Such a theoretical coupe would be 169 horses more potent than the Huracan STO and easily satisfy Mohr's assertion that the new generation "from the performance point of view ... will again be a big step." Lamborghini is spending $1.8 billion on its path to an electric future. It's possible the firm could take part of that money to develop a V8 for itself, instantly setting itself apart from the other high-dollar brands in the VW Group. Naturally, we'd love to see that, or even a hybrid V10; what a monster that could be, although heavy, and engineers have been clear about waging a war against weight. The Wolfsburg parent is known to be a huge fan of scale, though, and a V8 or V10 that only serves two vehicles — the Aventador will continue with a V12 even as a plug-in hybrid — seems like a stretch to get approval. Parsing this also depends on how the automaker could define "in-house design." We've seen massively revised engines built around an existing block considered "all-new." The Huracan could debut as soon as next year, one year ahead of the automaker's commitment to electrifying the whole three-car lineup. Autocar says that looking ahead from there, we'll finally get eyes on the battery-electric Lamborghini in 2028. Last year, the predicted window was sometime between 2025 and 2027, and an interview with Lamborghini chief Stephan Winkelmann has clarified a few bits.

Lamborghini teaser previews rebirth of original Countach LP500

Lamborghini's Countach revival at last month's Monterey Car Week perhaps didn't quite make the splash the company was hoping for. Many critics skewered the reskinned Sian as a retro cash grab, leaving Acura's vague announcement of a new Integra at the same time to generate far more excitement on the interwebs. Now Lamborghini's teasing the return of another Countach, but we think this one will face sunbstantially less ire. Lamborghini posted a mysterious teaser to social media yesterday, but kept coy on what exactly it was. The teaser's text merely said, "50 years ago it paved the road to the future. Now it's back on the road," accompanied by a roaring V12 soundtrack. No image of the car is actually shown, but we do get footage of craftsmen crafting a fantastic bucket seat that looks like the love child of Irving Harper and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe sofas. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This is almost certainly a re-creation of the driver's perch of the original Countach LP500 concept that debuted on March 11, 1971, at the Geneva Motor Show. The yellow Gandini wedge would go into production in 1974 and sear itself into the imaginations of adolescents around the globe. However, this isn't a straightforward restoration project from Lamborghini's Polo Storico restoration center. After the show rounds, the Countach LP500 concept was used as a test mule, its 5.0-liter V12 reportedly destroyed and replaced with a four-liter closer to the production LP400's. Ultimately, according to Lamborghini, the concept gave its life in a 1974 crash test in order to homologate the production car. As the car was scrapped, it's technically not possible to restore the original. So, is Lamborghini re-creating the Countach LP500 concept? That part remains to be seen, but whatever it is, it'll likely be a better homage to the legend than the LPI800-4.

Next-gen Lamborghini Aventador to get batteries and active aero?

Sportscar makers at the pointy end of class flout what appear to be inevitable business decisions the same way their offerings flout what appear to be inevitable physical limitations. Questions we've asked for years include: How long until Ferrari builds an SUV? (Next year.) How long until Chevrolet reveals a mid-engined Corvette? ( Soon?) And how long until Lamborghini must perform hybridised open heart surgery on its nonpareil V12? According to Motor Authority, as part of an interview with Lamborghini R&D honcho Maurizio Reggiani at the Detroit Auto Show, the answer to that last question is likely with the next generation. Reggiani told MA that the next-gen Aventador will definitely come with a V12. After that, the man who makes the bulls said "we must decide what will be the future of the super sportscar in terms of electric contribution," the principle issue of that contribution not being performance, but weight and power delivery. The 4,085-pound Aventador makes scales weep, explaining why Reggiani is so grave about weight implications that even a dual-clutch transmission - a seeming shoo-in for the next-gen car - won't get a pass until it justifies its extra heft over the present, hoary, single-clutch gearbox. Carbon fiber already forms the Aventador's tub, so engineers in Sant' Agata can't evaporate hundreds of pounds with that conversion. Lamborghini's been working on the new car's platform a for more than a year, no doubt with batteries in mind, yet stuffing a load of Triple As into the chassis could turn a battleship into a dreadnought. That formula works for Bugatti, but won't serve Lamborghini nor its clientele. Reggiani isn't opposed to some sort of electric assistance when the next-gen car bows in 2020 or 2021, and at the Frankfurt Motor Show last year said he sees plug-in hybrid tech as the next step, but we won't be surprised if the V12 song remains the naturally-aspirated same at launch. Still, the question of electrification - and turbocharging - remains one of "When?" There's so much writing on the wall that the writing is the wall: two years ago, Reggiani admitted that turbos will get bolted on "sooner or later," as did Lamborghini's commercial officer Federico Foschini last year, the Urus will dial up a hybrid powertrain soon, reports declare the next-gen Huracan will go hybrid in 2022, and Euro 6 emissions aren't getting less stringent. No matter how the coming flagship makes its power, expect more of everything.