Volkswagen Group doesn’t even have a stick-shift.
In the past few weeks, Lamborghini executives were quite vocal. Maurizio Reggiani, chief technical officer of the company, confirmed that the V12 engine will be used by the brand. He also suggested there may be one final Aventador version before the replacement. Stefano Domenicali (the boss of Lambo) claimed that the automaker is looking at adding another SUV to its lineup. He also said that it was too costly to offer a manual transmission for its supercars.
Jonny Lieberman, MotorTrend’s Jonny Domenicali, interviewed Domenicali and discussed “about Lamborghini, of course, as well as the car industry in general.” He explained that building one would be too expensive.
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This is possible because you are a Volkswagen Group marque. Let’s do some math. Lamborghini could charge customers a premium of $25,000 for 200 Aventadors equipped with a manual gearbox, which would still net the brand an additional $5 million. Although this is a remarkable figure, it won’t cover the costs of creating a stick-shift ‘box or turning the supercar’s seven speed automatic into a manual. Because the Aventador is so unique mechanically, Volkswagen Group doesn’t have a proper-sized manual.
Domenicali explained to the publication that the Huracan is based upon the Audi R8, which had a manual, just like the Gallardo (the Huracan’s predecessor). This six-speed transmission is no longer in production. It will be expensive to build it again. Lamborghini wants to offer its customers a manual transmission option, but it can’t.