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Lamborghini Chasing Weight Reduction Over Engine Capacity

LAMBORGHINI IS SET to put a halt to the development of bigger engines in favour of more light-weight construction, CEO Stephan Winkelmann says.
With tightening European emissions laws making it increasingly difficult to justify larger high-output engines


LAMBORGHINI IS SET to put a halt to the development of bigger engines in favour of more light-weight construction, CEO Stephan Winkelmann says.

With tightening European emissions laws making it increasingly difficult to justify larger high-output engines, Lamborghini is thinking less about top speed and more about weight and acceleration.

"It has come to the point where acceleration equals consumption," Winkelmann told Autoweek. "More consumption means increased CO2 emissions."

Lamborghini R&D chief Maurizio Reggiani said earlier this month that with there being so few places a car can be pushed to its top speed, the company will instead focus on improving acceleration.

With emissions laws restricting engine options, Reggiani is also about to put Lambo's supercars on a diet.

"The weight-to-power ratio will be the key factor," Reggiani said. "We will use composite materials in the right place, when it also has the right cost, stiffness and mechanical characteristics."

Where high-strength steel has been the go-to material for Lamborghini in the past, the Italian supercarmaker will look to make greater use of aluminium and carbon fibre in future models - including the 'Jota', successor to the Murcielago.

Early reports have suggested Lamborghini is building the Murcielago's replacement on a version of the Audi R8's ultra-light aluminium spaceframe.

Lamborghini has no shortage of experience with weight reduction, its LP670-4 SV shedding around 100kg through the use of carbon fibre.

While the LP670-4 SV offered an extra 25kW, Reggiani says it's the weight loss that most people notice rather than the power increase.

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