► Lambo 2wd cars could return
► Turbos too, but ‘not for four years’
► Hybrid Lamborghinis for SUV, 4dr
Lamborghini is wedded to doing four-wheel drive for its super-sports cars, the R&D chief has confirmed to CAR magazine – but that does not preclude doing rear-drive specials in future.
Maurizio Reggiani told CAR that its high-output cars with more than 600bhp would remain 4wd ‘to keep them on the road’ but admitted that one-offs like the rear-drive Balboni edition Gallardo were still available in the future product plan.
‘The strategy is that we will continue to look at all possibilities,’ he said.
Will Lamborghinis go turbocharged to meet new emissions regs?
Very possibly, but only in the longer run, according to Reggiani, who spent eight years at Bugatti and five at Maserati before he joined Lambo two decades ago.
‘I think that a naturally aspirated engine is the best for our super-sports cars,’ the tech chief told CAR. ‘It’s what our customers want.
‘But if we have to react to legislation and, for example, taxation for high-capacity cars in the Far East, then – yes – we can react and go the turbocharged route if we have to.’
When pushed about a timeframe, he answered: ‘It would be about four years or so away.’
What about a hybrid Lamborghini, like the Lamborghini Asterion LPI 910-4?
Reggiani suggested that no hybrid was forthcoming from Lamborghini, but admitted that as part of the VW Group it could deploy a petrol-electric drivetrain if it had to reasonably easily.
‘We are far away from a hybrid Lamborghini today,’ he said. ‘It’s easier for a saloon or an SUV to package a hybrid.’
Which rather suggests that Sant’Agata’s sports cars will remain naturally aspirated screamers – for now.
But if Lamborghini does green-light the Asterion sports-GT or Urus SUV, odds are it’d feature a group hybrid solution, at least as an option.