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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 Huracan Sterrato shows its off-road-friendly design

The all-terrain Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato is nearly ready to make its debut. The supercar's final (and most extreme) evolution will break cover on November 30 in Florida, and a batch of photos showing the coupe without camouflage reveals how designers SUV-ified a supercar. We've never seen anything quite like the Huracan Sterrato; at least not in showrooms. Lamborghini previewed the model in June 2019 by unveiling a close-to-production concept, and it's clear that the overall design hasn't changed much in the past three years. Sitting far higher than the average supercar, the Sterrato gets a pair of LED driving lights up front, wheel arch flares, specific side skirts, and roof rails. These styling cues were previewed by the concept, but the air scoop seemingly connected to the engine bay is a new addition to the look. Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato View 4 Photos It's reasonable to assume that there's much more going on than meets the eye. We're impatient to find out how Lamborghini modified the Huracan's suspension system for off-road use, for example. And, there's no word yet on what the model is powered by. Our crystal ball tells us it's a version of the standard car's naturally-aspirated, 5.2-liter V10 but it's too early to provide horsepower and torque figures. The Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato is scheduled to make full its debut at Art Basel show in Miami, Florida, on November 30, 2022. It will be the last evolution of the Huracan; its successor is due out in the coming years. Official details remain few and far between, but an unofficial report claims the upcoming new model will land with an 850-horsepower gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain built around a twin-turbocharged V8 engine. The birth of a new segment? The idea of a supercar that keeps going after the pavement ends is unconventional; for decades, supercars were bound to roads while SUVs and pickup trucks were designed to go off-road. There have been a handful of notable exceptions to this rule, the mega-obscure Mega Track built in France in the 1990s comes to mind, but the idea didn't catch on until recently. Volkswagen-owned Italdesign Giugiaro alchemized the Lamborghini Gallardo into an off-roader called Parcour at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show and Audi followed-up with the Nanuk concept later that year. Fast-forward to 2022 and Porsche wants a slice of this segment, too: it's preparing a 911 on stilts called Dakar. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party.

Watch Evo pick its 2015 Car of the Year in this epic video

With just a few days left in 2015, it's the perfect time to check out Evo's annual Car of the Year test to determine the greatest performance vehicle of the last 12 months. The writers' picks for the 11 finalists spanned a breadth of engaging models and included: Peugeot 208 GTi by Peugeot Sport, Lamborghini Aventador SV, Seat Leon Cupra Sub8, McLaren 675LT, Porsche 991 GT3 RS, Porsche Cayman GT4, Honda Civic Type R, Ferrari 488 GTB, Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, Lotus Evora 400, and Mercedes-AMG GT S. For the venue to test the mettle of these performance machines, Evo stuck close to home this year and visited the twisting roads at the beautiful north coast of Scotland. Racing brothers Marino and Dario Franchitti also came along for the ride to provide two more voices in the competitive challenge to determine a winner. Evo's video explains why each model deserves to be among such rarified company but doesn't gloss over their faults either. There can be only one winner, though. We don't want to spoil it, so check out the clip for magnificent views of these performance machines through the Scottish countryside.