Strong profits have given the supercar brand the funding it needs to build a new platform from the ground up, without needing to share it with other VW Group products.
Lamborghini is performing so well that it won't need to share a platform with another automaker like Audi for the successor to the Lamborghini Huracan Evo. This is great news for Lamborghini since Audi has no replacement planned for the R8, and whether you like it or not, we have the Urus to thank.
Speaking to Australia's Drive, a company executive explained that an Audi-branded sibling would not be needed as Lamborghini can now engineer a bespoke platform for the forthcoming replacement. “Since we've been so profitable, we got the green light to develop our own platform,” said Francesco Scardaoni, regional director of Lamborghini Asia-Pacific.
“From one side, being part of the [Volkswagen] Group and having a platform to share is really good because you can share technology, and use technology that is validated from other brands – it's really a good approach,” he added.
The first baby Lambo, the Gallardo, went on to share its underpinnings with the first-gen Audi R8. The Huracan then shared multiple parts and components with the R8 (Type 4S).
Lamborghini
Scardaoni added that by developing a Lamborghini-specific platform, the company doesn't have to make any trade-offs. “But of course, being able to design our own platform gives us even more freedom to create the platform that best fits the Lamborghini DNA without any compromise.”
This does, of course, mean that the high-end brand has to fork out bigger amounts of money. But, as mentioned, strong sales have lined Lambo's coffers, giving it what it needs to develop this exclusive platform.
“It's more difficult, it requires larger investments – and this is why we're able to do it now. The company is setting records, quarter over quarter, year over year in terms of financials so … we are able to invest a huge amount of money in terms of research and development and to design our own platforms,” remarked Scardaoni.
Lamborghini's 2021 sales records decimated all past sales records; this short-lived achievement was beaten last year when the brand shifted a staggering 9,233 cars in 2022, of which the bulk was made up by the Urus.
Audi
Of course, this decision isn't a result of any bad blood between Audi and Lamborghini. The former is determined to become an all-electric automaker, and the R8's successor will head in the same direction. The replacement model, reportedly known as the Rnext, will share nothing with the Huracan replacement. Instead, it will reportedly rely on Porsche to help develop this model.
However, there's a possibility that other models in the VW Group will use Lamborghini's upcoming platform. “Well, the plan is that this platform [is] being used by Lamborghini [exclusively] … but of course, future planning from a big organization like the Audi-Volkswagen Group can change. I can't say [at this stage]. But again, as of today, this will be specific to Lamborghini.”
While the Rnext will be all-electric, the Huracan replacement is expected to use a more traditional gasoline-powered setup.
Audi
Sadly, the V10 and its iconic howl will not make a return – the Huracan is officially no longer available to purchase. Instead, the replacement model will reportedly arrive next year with a plug-in hybrid V8 engine. This powerplant will not be a reengineered version of the 4.0-liter V8 found in the Urus, but rather a brand-new twin-turbo motor that can reportedly rev all the way up to 10,000 rpm.
And, in typical Lamborghini fashion, it will be unlike anything else. The turbochargers are said to remain dormant until 7,000 rpm. Until then, the engine will act as a naturally aspirated powerplant, gaining assistance from the axial-flux electric motor.
This is yet to be confirmed by Lamborghini, though, so until the new model debuts; it's anyone's guess as to what will power the new baby Lambo. All we know is that it will be genuinely scintillating and carry on the brand's proud heritage of producing thrill-a-minute automobiles.
Lamborghini
Keyword: Lamborghini Huracan Successor Getting Bespoke Lamborghini Platform