Lamborghini: SUV might come after all

Here's one more confirmation that Lamborghini is unfortunately not bringing the Miura or the Espada, but it's still considering a SUV and of course successors for the Gallardo and Murciélago.

Winkelmann claims that reports suggesting Lamborghini is looking to revive the front-engined Espada are well wide of the mark, saying, "Any future Lamborghini sports car needs to be both mid-engined and four-wheel drive." Rumors that Lamborghini is working on a front-engine rival to the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti have been circulating ever since a series of design sketches portraying such a model mysteriously found their way onto the Internet early last year. Winkelmann says the sketches were commissioned by Lamborghini but are not intended to provide ideas for any new model that might be in the pipeline.

Winkelmann also says the Miura concept, revealed at this year's Los Angeles auto show, isn't planned for production. "The Miura [concept] was a celebration of our history, but Lamborghini is about the future. Retro design is not what we are here for. So we won't do the Miura," he said.

With the Espada and Miura out of the picture, the next all-new Lamborghini model could be an SUV based on Audi's upcoming Q5 — a compact four-wheel-drive vehicle in the mold of the recently introduced Q7. Winkelmann says a performance-based SUV could fit well with the Lamborghini brand, but he doesn't hint when it is likely to arrive.

Before any Lambo SUV comes out, however, Lamborghini will be busy preparing additional versions of the Murciélago and Gallardo. First to arrive, according to Inside Line sources, will be a roadster version of the Murciélago LP640, due out later this year. It will be followed next year by a lightweight version of the Gallardo with rear-wheel drive to make it eligible for sports-car racing.

Also under development, but unlikely to see light of day for at least another two years, is a dramatically styled successor to the Murciélago. It is planned to be powered by an all-new V12 engine based around the V10 used in the Gallardo, a move aimed at improving economies and scale and streamlining production.