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Lamborghini’s next batch of supercars will reportedly feature naturally aspirated engines, but enlist the help of electric power—and lots of it.
Porsche will reportedly take over Lamborghini in early 2019 as part of a restructuring of Volkswagen Auto Group’s upscale marques, which comes as a surprise to Lamborghini, which is reportedly halfway through the development of the successors to its Huracan and Aventador supercars, according to Automobile. It appears that both new cars will use carbon fiber monocoques and augment their naturally aspirated engines with significant amounts of electric assist.
The Huracan’s descendant will keep a 5.2-liter V-10 tweaked to make 650 horsepower, up 20 from the Huracan Performante‘s 630. Electric power reportedly totals 250 kilowatts (335 horsepower), pushing the next V-10 up to a combined 985 horsepower. To reduce costs, however, it may be based on a new aluminum “Mimo II” sports car platform, rather than carbon fiber. Said platform is reportedly connected to a delayed Porsche competitor to the Ferrari 488, known only as the 960. The fate of the Huracan’s platform-mate, the Audi R8, is not yet confirmed.
Naturally, the V12 flagship car and successor to the Aventador will have to be more extreme. So extreme, in fact, that the cost of developing its carbon fiber monocoque has reportedly far exceeded its budget, but its state of development is advanced enough that it would be more costly to cancel the program than complete it. The launch of the model has reportedly been postponed to 2022, but the wait should be worth it if claims regarding the car’s powertrain hold true.
In store for the Aventador is a heavily-electrified drivetrain that will still make use of a naturally aspirated V12, further improving what is found in the Aventador today. The rumor is 770 horsepower plus 300 kW (402 horsepower) of electric steroids courtesy of two electric motors on the front axle and one in the rear, totaling 1,172 horsepower when paired. It will reportedly ditch the Aventador’s single-clutch transmission for a dual-clutch Getrag unit.
These claims are in line with previous reports about the next Lamborghini flagship supercar, with one executive allegedly confirming that it will remain naturally aspirated, but nevertheless a hybrid.
The Drive has reached out to Lamborghini for comment on both the alleged transfer of ownership and the construction of its upcoming supercars, and we will update when we receive a response.
