Better than petrol-power? Lamborghini Huracan successor to be a plug-in hybrid baby bull with 'bespoke' V8 to rival Ferrari 296 GTB, reveal fast approaching

The V10 is dead, long live the V8, or at least as far as Lamborghini’s entry-level supercar is concerned. International reports say the brand’s Huracan successor will debut within months, and is set to feature a V8 to replace the V10.

That V8, according to an Autocar report from the UK where a Lambo executive spills some beans, will be developed in-house rather than borrowed from fellow VW Group brand Audi as was the case with the Huracan’s V10.

Set for an August reveal, the model will also be a plug-in hybrid, following on from the flagship Revuelto (the Lamborghini Aventador replacement) being the brand’s first plug-in hybrid - and its final V12.

Lamborghini's Chief Marketing and Sales Officer Federico Foschini told Autocar the decision to make a move to plug-in hybrid for the Huracan successor is due to the PHEV “package itself is much better than a normal ICE car”.

“There are characteristics that you cannot achieve if you don't have an electric motor,” he told the UK outlet, referring to aspects like torque vectoring.

“It gives you the opportunity to leverage even more on the potential of the engine.”

The V8 engine is expected to be a Lamborghini development, it’s unclear if it will build on the basis of the 4.0-litre V8 engine used by fellow VW brand Audi, as is found under the bonnet of the Lamborghini Urus SUV, which now has a plug-in hybrid variant.

Bentley (also a brand under the VW umbrella) has this week confirmed a plug-in hybrid-assisted V8 engine will replace its formidable W12 engine.

The British brand says the ‘Ultra Performance Hybrid powertrain’ will be the most powerful in Bentley’s history, with Bentley claiming “more than 750PS” is on the way - that’s 552kW, some way short of the Urus PHEV’s 588kW.

If all three engines are based on the same foundation, the upcoming Lamborghini supercar’s outputs could top the list. However, Lamborghini’s tendency to creat unique drivetrains for its models would suggest the brand might not even take the turbocharging route for its new V8, meaning (as with the Huracan) the sports car may fall short of the Urus’ power figure.

Further details of the Huracan successor aren’t forthcoming, though clues can be taken from the hybrid V12 flagship, if Lamborghini is to follow tradition and keep some design and mechanical links between the two models.

The Revuelto was revealed a little more than a year ago with a 6.5-litre V12 and three electric motors, a 747kW output, a claimed 0-100km/h sprint of 2.5 seconds and a 3.8kWh battery allowing for city electric driving.

While the Huracan replacement will have four cylinders fewer and likely a fair chunk less power, it’s possible the brand will use a similar battery and electric motor configuration - it’s not yet clear if the V8 supercar will have a rear-drive version.

Expect the Huracan successor to very strongly resemble the Revuelto in terms of design, the same way the Huracan very much looks like a baby Aventador, as did Gallardo and Murcielago before.