With the Ferrari 458 Italia and McLaren MP4-12C redefining the junior supercar market, Lamborghini’s successor to its entry-level Gallardo has to be something special. And if the latest reports are to be believed, significant help in the cars development may come from Porsche and Audi, effectively making the car yet another German exotic.
This is according to Inside Line, which also confirms that the next Gallardo will get a new name (not a surprise) and will be based off a new modular platform to be used by Lamborghini, Audi and Porsche. Consequently, the underpinnings of the car could be solely German.
Additionally, Lamborghini may receive aid from Audi in developing the engine for the new Gallardo, possibly taking away that crucial part of the car from the Italians as well. Add to that an interior featuring Audi parts, similar to the current Gallardo, and the Italians may have little influence on the car except from a design standpoint.
With all this being said however, the one man that has to sign off on these developments is Lamborghini’s CEO Stephan Winkelmann who was born and raised in Italy. As a result, he’s likely to ensure that the Italian brand remains at the core of the project, something which should please Lamborghini purists.
Unfortunately however, it’s inevitable that the next-gen Gallardo will share more in common with the new Audi R8 than the Gallardo currently does, but is that necessarily a bad thing?
