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Lamborghini has been given a reprieve of almost a decade over its shotgun wedding with Porsche on its sports car programs
Sources inside the VW Group admit that there is an inevitability to the two sports-car makers sharing technologies and even, though they are loathe to admit it, chassis architectures in the future.
The only good news is that it won't become obvious soon, with Audi's director of engineering, Michael Dick, insisting Lamborghini's two-door development will be free of Porsche input until at least 2020
Dick told Audi's Annual General Meeting of shareholders last week that the development of the next Gallardo was already too far advanced to meddle with.
"The new model of the Gallardo and the R8 is already in the development phase and the Lamborghini will come out before the R8," he said.
"There are synergies you can adapt for all three brands, but nothing wholesale.
"This current platform development is pretty far apart (from Porsche) at this stage and if they do ever come together it will be after 2020," he admitted.
Yet senior sources at the VW Group insisted that, over time, the two sports-car brands would move closer together out of pure necessity – especially if Lamborghini wanted a third or even fourth model line.
Porsche has gained some expertise in expanding its range with the Cayenne and the Panamera and Lamborghini boss, Stefan Winkelmann, has repeatedly insisted the Raging Bull needs to build its Estoque four-door concept car if it is to grow.
Sources inside VW also insist Lamborghini has enough historical credibility to branch into a high-powered SUV as well, given its early 1980s dabble with the V12-powered, LM002 off-roader.
"It's a market they can move into with credibility and they need to consider that it's not a market Ferrari can follow them into, because they have no links to SUVs at all," one source claimed.
"Lamborghini is entirely credible as an SUV maker, but it can't do it alone and Porsche has shown it already knows how to do it, so it makes sense to work together.
"There are significant synergies there that benefit everybody, but the V12 supercars will always be protected and will always be done in house at Lamborghini – that's sacrosanct." |
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