Lamborghini to reveal last pure petrol cars within months, across Huracan, Urus lines

Italian exotic car maker Lamborghini is mere months away from debuting its final new models without any form of electrification, before its entire range switches to hybrid power within the next two years.

Three new vehicles will serve as Lamborghini’s farewell to the non-electrified era – two versions of the Huracan, and one Urus SUV – all due for reveal before the end of this year.

While the cars revealed this year will be sold for 12 to 18 months without hybrid tech, they will be the last road-legal new models from the Italian brand without hybrid or electric power – a switch commencing with the Aventador’s plug-in hybrid replacement in 2023, followed by the Huracan’s successor and a hybrid Urus in 2024.

Here’s everything we know about the new models, courtesy of spy photos, rumours, and an interview with Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann and Australian media including Drive late last month.

The first cab off the combustion-engined rank will be a new version of the Huracan, expected to be a road-focused, rear-wheel-drive special that could wear the ‘Tecnica’ name.

“I can give you a hint that the first car we are going to be launching will be in the middle of April, so we will have an announcement in the middle of April. It will be a rear wheel drive car, an emotional one,” Winkelmann told Drive.

Spy photos published overseas show a look akin to the pre-facelift 2017 Huracan Performante, with similar bumper and wing treatments, and carbon-ceramic brakes – but traditional, five-lug wheels rather than centre-lock alloys (though it’s unclear if this is reflective of the production car).

While overseas reports claim this car will be badged JV Stradale, Drive first reported last year that Lamborghini has trademarked the ‘Huracan Tecnica’ name – a badge similarly applied to a ‘run-out’ version of the Huracan’s predecessor, the Gallardo, with styling drawn from that car’s Superleggera and Spyder Performante variants.

Lamborghini’s top-selling model, the Urus performance SUV, will receive its mid-life facelift later this year after four years on sale, with a reveal set for the Concours d’Elegance event in Pebble Beach, California this August.

“And the third one [aside from the two Huracans], as I said, is the facelift of the Urus, which we are going to present at Pebble Beach in August, so in the United States, in California, in this year,”.

Spy photos – and the above rendering by artist @avarvarii – point to styling cues drawn from Lamborghini’s limited-run Sian hypercar, with a more angular front bumper, new bonnet vents, restyled side sills, new alloy wheel designs, and what appear to be wider rear wheel arch flares.

It remains to be seen if changes are made inside the cabin, or to the current Urus SUV’s 478kW/850Nm 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 under the bonnet. However, rumours suggest a lighter ‘Sport RS’ variant is in the works, with more power (up to 503kW) and a sharper driving experience.

A plug-in hybrid will be join the facelifted Urus range, though not until 2024. The introduction of the hybrid is expected to kill off the standard, petrol-only model, as Lamborghini switches its entire range to hybrid power only.

The final petrol-only Lamborghini model is widely expected to be a production version of 2018’s Huracan Sterrato off-road supercar concept – all but confirmed in spy photos published online over the last few months.

Alluding to the aforementioned photos (above), Winkelmann told Drive: “The second one [Huracan] will be at the end of the year. I cannot tell you more than what was already leaked with photos.

“Also, this is something which we are preparing since a couple of years [hinting at the 2018 show car], so I’m very keen to see this coming, and I think that Lamborghini is the only brand [among] our competitors which is able to do, or will be able to do a car like this.”

Differences between the Sterrato and standard Huracan models will include an increased ride height, smaller alloy wheels with rough-road-friendly tyres, likely wheel arch extensions, skid plates, and possibly a roof-mounted air intake.

It remains to be seen if any changes are made to the Huracan’s familiar 5.2-litre naturally-aspirated V10 – though outputs matching the Evo variant’s 470kW/600Nm appear likely, with a carry-over seven-speed dual-clutch auto gearbox and all-wheel drive.

Which of Lamborghini’s final petrol-only cars excites you most? Let us know in the comments.