The Baby Lambo Is Right On Schedule
 |
| The Lamborghini Murciélago's $370,000 base price puts it beyond the reach of even Canada's wealthier individuals. A smaller, less expensive Lambo makes a lot of sense to Volkswagen AG, the Italian company's corporate parent. |
Lamborghini has a small and specified target market, mostly due to the Murciélago's $370,000 base price. But that's about to change. New owner Volkswagen AG would like to take advantage of the Italian brand's rich history and see its yearly production increase.
That's where an all-new baby Lambo enters the picture, code named L140. Sure, there have been rumors about a smaller, less expensive Lamborghini for years, so what makes the latest news any different? Lamborghini has confirmed it by announcing the production car will be unveiled at the 2003 Geneva auto show in March. This proves the project is on track for its targeted May 2003 introduction.
 |
| Expect the new V10 Lamborghini to follow the company's traditional layout, mimicking its larger sibling in design and nearing it in performance. |
So what has changed? Why can Lamborghini now step into this more lucrative market when it never could before? In short it's really all about economies of scale. Backed by VW's larger pockets and plans to share the new model's basic architecture with an all-new Audi supercar and possibly a future Bugatti - also part of the Volkswagen AG arsenal - the L140 will see the light of day.
Power will come from an all-new V10 producing something near 500-hp. Whatever ends up being the final number be sure that the new street fighter will be capable of trouncing its future arch rival Ferrari 360 Modena, at least from 0 to 100 km/h, and reach a top speed of 290 km/h (180 mph). A 6-speed manual will take care of gear changing duties, with no word on a paddle-type sequential shifting option.