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Audi R8, Lamborghini Huracan could get twin-charged five-cylinder

Engine downsizing and forced induction are some of the biggest trends in automotive powertrains today because. They offer the chance to reduce emissions and boost fuel economy, while possibly maintaining power. The shift is already happening to performance cars with turbocharged four-cylinders finding their way into the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, and future Porsches. Now, there are rumblings of a tiny chance for a similar change coming for the Lamborghini Huracan and Audi R8. Why the new powertrain? China. While the market there might have slowing growth, it's still a major country for auto sales. The annual taxes on cars there also happen to be based on engine displacement, and there's a 40 percent rate on those over 4.0-liters, according to Car and Driver. The obvious answer to this conundrum is to build a smaller displacement, forced induction engine for the R8 and Huracan. Car and Driver points to the new turbocharged and electrically supercharged, 2.5-liter inline five-cylinder from the recent Audi TT Clubsport Turbo concept as a possible solution. Audi's e-turbo technology runs off a 48-volt electrical system and lithium-ion battery to produce a total of 600 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque in the prototype. With this mill, horsepower would barely shrink compared to the R8 V10 Plus and Lambo, but it actually makes more peak torque than their 5.2-liter V10s. While this is all theoretically feasible, take the possibility with a big grain of salt for now. According to Car and Driver, Quattro GmbH's Stephan Reil says that there's no work currently underway to fit the twin-charged five-cylinder, "but it has been talked about." That means such a vehicle is likely years away, if ever. In the meantime, a diesel version of the e-turbo setup is on the way the in the SQ7. Related Video:

2021 Lamborghini Urus gets new Pearl Capsule design edition, adds tech in new year

The 2021 Lamborghini Urus is coming into its third year with some updates. The most notable of those is the addition of a Pearl Capsule design edition. It’s meant to bring even more style and exuberance to the table, which couldnÂ’t have been easy to do with a Urus. However, the Pearl Capsule does succeed at standing out with its bright color palette. All of them will be two-tone cars with a bright base color, black roof and black accents all around. You can choose Giallo Inti (yellow), Arancio Borealis (orange) or Verde Mantis (green). Gloss black paint is used on the roof, rear diffuser, spoiler, side sills, wheels and other trim. Those 23-inch wheels also receive a single circular outline in the main paintÂ’s hue. YouÂ’ll also notice that the brake calipers are the same color as the car, too.  ThereÂ’s more to be seen on the interior. All Pearl Capsule cars will feature a two-tone interior design with the color of the paint featuring heavily throughout it. The seats, center console, door trim, dash trim and even the cupholders receive splashes of color. You can select perforated Alcantara seats (pictured) and Lamborghini also throws in some additional carbon fiber and black anodized aluminum buttons/details. Lamborghini says itÂ’s extending the available color palette for 2021, as well. ThereÂ’s a new metallic grey and range of matte colors available through LamborghiniÂ’s Ad Personam customization program: blue, white, black and grey. If you were wondering, Lamborghini says the most popular color choices so far have been yellow and a range of greys.  Other updates for 2021 are minor. Lamborghini has come up with a new key design; the parking assistance package features a more comprehensive parking assistant (it can now park itself in parallel and perpendicular spots), and thereÂ’s a new Sensonum 17-speaker audio system available as an option. Pricing for the 2021 Urus starts at $218,009, which is $18,000 more than the base price of the 2020 Urus we just tested. Happy buying. Related video:

Lamborghini explains the challenges of putting Alexa in a 640-hp coupe

LAS VEGAS — Lamborghini and Amazon will continue their collaboration in a bid to bring an ever-greater degree of connectivity to the supercar segment, the Italian firm told Autoblog on the sidelines of CES 2020. Now that Alexa technology is available in the Huracan Evo, making it available across the rest of the range is relatively straightforward. Maurizio Reggiani, Lamborghini's research and development boss, explained adding voice recognition technology to a car like the 640-horsepower Huracan was easier said than done. "We had to split voice from the engine's sound, especially when the car is in Corsa [mode]. Alexa's engineering team spent a long time in Sant'Agata," he explained. Making the engine quieter so owners can pre-heat their oven while driving wasn't an option. The Huracan Evo released in 2019 is equipped with a relatively new, touchscreen-based infotainment system developed entirely in-house, so it was the ideal starting point. It was also one of the most challenging use cases for the engineering team, and not just because its two-seater cabin is small and noisy in the best possible way. "The V10's frequency is unique. If you take the V12 [in the Aventador S], it's much more regular. The V10's high frequency is one of the most difficult sources of sound to manage," Reggiani said. He stopped short of confirming when Lamborghini's other models will receive Amazon Alexa, though we wouldn't wait for the option to appear on the Aventador S because the model is at the end of its career, and its replacement — which will receive hybrid power — is right around the corner. Reggiani assured us adding Alexa to the Urus would be "much, much, much simpler," partly because its cabin is far quieter than the Huracan's. Why bother with technology when Lamborghini built its reputation mega horsepower? The answer is simple: Buyer demand. "We need to speak the same language as our new, younger customers," Reggiani said. "They want to ask, and to have. The car must be able to satisfy this kind of request."