No bull...the new Lamborghini Huracan is finally here.
Confirming a week of rumors and speculation, Lamborghini has unveiled the long-awaited replacement for its smaller model, the Gallardo, and it’s likely many will be calling the new Huracan LP610-4 the Baby Aventador.
The new two-seater borrows heavily from its big brother, starting with the now-familiar wedge shape, the sides sculpted to draw additional air in for the rear-mounted engine through scoops just behind the passenger compartment.
For those who might want to plant this beast under the tree – or in the garage – for Christmas, your local Lambo dealer might be willing to take a deposit now but you’ll have to wait some months before deliveries begin. The Italian subsidiary of Volkswagen AG has yet to reveal U.S. pricing, though the 2013 Gallardo starts at $181,900.
The new Huracan delivers 610 hp to all four wheels.
In traditional Lamborghini form, the name tells you much of what you need to know. For one thing, the new model punches out a hefty 610 horsepower from its direct-injected 5.2-liter 10-cylinder engine through a 7-speed dual clutch that puts power to the pavement through all four wheels.
What you may also need to know is that Lamborghini promises the new Huracan will launch from to 100 kmh (0 to 60 mph) in just 3.2 seconds, while hitting 200 kmh – or 125 mph – in 9.9 seconds. Top speed is rated at 201 mph.
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The Italian maker helped improve performance by slashing weight on the new 2-seater – which also has the benefit of improving fuel economy, something even supercar makers have to keep in mind at a time when emissions and mileage mandates are being ramped up sharply all over the world. The new Huracan makes use of not only aluminum in body and chassis but also ultra-light carbon fiber, a material until recently limited to only the most high-priced models, like the Aventador.
The Huracan replaces the best-selling car in Lamborghini history, the outgoing Gallardo.
Add a new stop/start feature – which can automatically shut the engine off instead of idling, then restart it when the driver’s foot lifts off the brake – and the new Lamborghini Huracan is expected to yield 18.5 mpg.
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Incidentally, the name of the car might seem to suggest it was borrowed from the storms that blow over the Atlantic but, in fact, Huracan is in keeping with Lambo tradition, and like its various predecessors honors one of Spain’s most famous fighting bulls.
The outgoing Gallardo was the best-selling car in Lamborghini history and helped the maker’s global volume surge to 2,083 in 2012. It will reach market too late to build the numbers this year but is expected to play an important role for Lambo as it faces an onslaught of new competitors in the small but lucrative supercar market. British rival Aston Martin, for one, expects to soon bolster its own line-up thanks to an agreement it inked with Daimler AG this week to get V-8 engines from the German maker’s AMG arm.
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