Lamborghini Huracán gets new rear-wheel-drive version for 2016

No UK prices have been announced, but the quoted figure of €150,000 plus taxes means that the LP580-2 is likely to be slightly more affordable than the £180,000 LP610-4 - and that could make it up to £10,000 cheaper than a Ferrari 488 GTB.

An open-topped Spyder version is a near-certainty, too, although Lamborghini sources have given no indication of when it might appear.

Speaking at the launch of the Huracán LP580-2, Winkelmann said that Lamborghini will add more rear-wheel-drive versions of the Huracán to its range in the future, as well as more extreme versions of the car, but ruled out any model with a manual gearbox.

“With the Gallardo a lot of those things were not in place,” said Winkelmann. “With the Huracán we are in a much better position because we factored in the whole story when we were doing the initial planning. So yes, there will be much more to come - and that does include more rear-wheel-drive versions.”

Lamborghini believes that the LP580-2 will allow it to compete in the ‘up to $200,000’ supercar class, which accounts for almost 70% of the top-end sports car market. However, unlike the rear-drive Gallardo, which was offered in an even cheaper form with a manual transmission, the Huracán will stick with its dual-clutch gearbox across the line-up.

“There are technical reasons we cannot do a manual,” said Winkelmann, “but there is also no feedback from customers really wanting this either.

“With the four-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive, our research says that in this area of the market there will be 55% rear-drive sales between 2015 and 2020. So there are clearly some buyers - younger customers, I think, but also more experienced enthusiast drivers - who want rear-drive. We don’t have the same impression with the manual gearbox compared with the dual-clutch. I can say now: there will not be a manual Huracán.”

Winkelmann suggested that the Huracán range would expand upwards from the LP580-2 instead. “We have no plans to go below this price - the $200,000 mark,” he said. “But expansion at the top end of the Huracán range? It’s possible, for sure.”

That’s likely to be a reference to a potential SV version of the car. The case for such a vehicle - which would potentially pair the four-wheel-drive car’s more potent version of the 5.2-litre V10 engine with the rear-drive layout - has been made stronger by the sales success of the Aventador SV. The hardcore versions of that car, in coupé and open-topped form, are now completely sold out.

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