Lamborghini is keeping busy as aside from launching the Revuelto V12 plug-in hybrid supercar and putting the finishing touches on the Urus PHEV, it’s also testing the Huracan replacement. For the first time, car paparazzi managed to get up close with the baby Lambo undergoing testing on public roads. Surprisingly, it would seem we’re dealing with a prototype carrying the production body rather than an early test mule with provisional panels.
Right off the bat, the yellow “high-voltage” stickers denote it’s a test vehicle that uses a hybrid powertrain. Showing it has a sense of humor, Lamborghini slapped some stickers onto the headlights to try and fool the untrained eye that the car has Gallardo headlights. Look closer and you’ll see the real lights are located lower. The front bumper with its massive air intakes incorporations hexagonal daytime running lights.
Additional fakery can be found at the back where those “taillights” look as if they were taken from the Aventador. However, there are cutouts in the sticker revealing the actual taillights, flanking a single hexagonal exhaust (with two circular tips) compared to the Revuelto’s dual setup (with four tips). The massive diffuser with its long vertical fins isn’t surrounded by a full bumper, allowing us to see the meaty rear tires. It’s unclear whether this is the final look, or the prototype lacked some parts of the rear. We’d argue it would be spectacular for the production model to look like this.
The side profile shows off generously sized air intakes ahead of the rear wheels as well as in the quarter panel. In typical supercar fashion, outward visibility appears to be less than ideal, especially since the Huracan’s quarter glass has seemingly been replaced by a vent. However, there’s a lot of camouflage in that area, so the disguise might be playing tricks on us. Overall, we’re expecting the “entry-level” Lamborghini to take after big-brother Revuelto, so we wouldn’t hold our breath for a vastly different design compared to the outgoing V10 machine.
Speaking of which, the 5.2-liter engine is being retired. In its place will be a hybrid based around a smaller gasoline mill. Reports state it’ll be a twin-turbo V8, but nothing is official at this point. Those turbochargers will allegedly be programmed to come alive at 7,000 rpm, so below that threshold, the Huracan successor will behave like a naturally aspirated supercar. Rumor has it the V8 will have a 10,000 rpm redline.
Lamborghini has already announced the Revuelto’s transverse dual-clutch, eight-speed automatic transmission will be used in the “lesser” model. While the V12 flagship has no fewer than three electric motors, it’s not known how many the engineers will cram into the smaller car. Another missing piece of the puzzle is whether it’ll have a charging port or not. The yet-to-be-named model is said to have all-wheel drive.
Developing the Huracan replacement on its own because the Audi R8 is going away, Lamborghini will introduce the new car later in 2024. In the meantime, the company has already announced the remaining production run for the mid-engined supercar has been sold, effectively meaning you can’t order it anymore.
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