Ten Facts From The Launch Of the Lamborghini Huracán
Ten Facts From The Launch Of the Lamborghini Huracán
Imthishan Giado
When Lamborghini sends you an invitation, you tend to take notice. When the invitation is to check out the mind-blowingly hot new Huracán at their brand new showroom in Abu Dhabi, you get in the car and start driving. Quickly.
Here’s a quick summary of what I learned from the launch.
1) Located at the end of the Corniche as part of the Nation Towers complex, the stunning new showroom is the only automotive dealership on this location. Investment in the location is described by Al Jaziri Motors chairman Badr Al Jaziri as ‘considerable’. The outlet – which also retails Lambo merchandise – is a pure sales only affair, with servicing taking place at the dealer’s Musaffah location.
2) A new showroom is on the way in Dubai. Construction is already underway on a Jaziri-owned building on Shaikh Zayed Road that will be located opposite the Mall Of The Emirates. Mr Al Jaziri showed me photos of the proposed complex which includes customer parking, a full service center and a customisation section: colour me impressed.
3) Aventador is a storming success. Last year was a record year for the flagship Lambo with 1000 cars sold. We’re an important market; combined with Europe and Africa, the Middle East accounts for 34% of total volume, second only to the United States.
4) Even in death, the Gallardo continued to sell exceptionally well. In its final year on sale, the baby bull sold 1120 cars. Over the past decade the Gallardo is the most successful Lamborghini ever, selling 14022 units; President Stephan Winkelmann described it in glowing terms as the ‘backbone’ of the brand so he knows they have to get it right.
5) The Huracán is gorgeous in the metal. Makes a proper Lambo noise too. Forget what your friends on the internet are saying or those blowhards from Top Gear; it’s a stunning piece of kit, low, lissome and and draped over its wheels like Angelina Jolie flowing out of a cocktail dress. I was also lucky enough to hear the car start up as they were removing it after the event (no video though sadly) and it makes all the right booming italian noises: bassy, throbby and full of characters. And like all new Euro cars, moments after it starts up it defaults to a mere whisper.
6) Prices start at AED990,000. Better start putting some dirhams in your piggybox now.
7) There’s a one-year waiting list already. Gives you more time to find more dirhams.
8) There’s no manual, nor will there ever be one. Sad but true; being a next-gen supercar the Huracán is designed around its new double-clutch transmission ‘Doppia Frizione’ with no provision for shift-it-yourself-types. Gallardo buyers, you only have yourselves to blame. Over the course of the car’s life less than 5% were purchased as stickshifts; in the last two years the orders were so rare that each one was personally approved by CEO Winkelmann himself.
9) Special editions will be rare. In the words of Winkelmann: “We want to decide what goes on a car with this badge.’ So no crazy one-off custom rebodied cars for rich customers. That doesn’t rule them out entirely, just that Lambo will continue to only do limited run production cars on special occasions, like the bonkers Sesto Elemento or definitely-not-for-production Egoista.
10) There an no plans for a hybrid/turbo powertrain…yet. The key word is ‘yet’. “We are a small company,” Winkelmann admitted, noting that it was difficult for them to commit to new technology with such a limited number of cars sold every year (hence the dropping of the manual ‘box). Nevertheless they have the backing of the mighty VW group and a turbo engine is definitely being ‘looked at’.
