Lamborghini's cheaper new supercar arrives

The Lamborghini Huracan has finally arrived in Australian showrooms, where -- at $428,000 plus on-road costs -- it is priced some $27,000 less than the Gallardo it replaces, making Australia the only market in the world where the new car is cheaper than the old.

Despite that, Australia's version of the all-new V10-powered supercar will have a more generous level of standard equipment than in other countries.

“For the Australian market there is Bluetooth, magnetorheological [adjustable] dampers and a lifting system -- items which are not standard in other markets,” said Lamborghini's Head of the Asia Pacific region, Andrea Baldi, in Japan on the weekend.

In terms of pricing, Baldi attributed a large portion of the saving to the exchange rate, but made it clear Lambo wanted to undercut the McLaren 650S.

“If we look back to the end of 2012, we had Australian customers asking why Gallardo was more expensive than in England, for example. And it came down to a less favourable exchange rate," he said.

“When you price a car, you take a risk. We wanted to wait with Huracan to price according to the newer trend with a new car. We also looked at what McLaren did with pricing the 650S [$441,500 plus on-roads]."

Both the pricing and specification are reflections of the new-found esteem Lamborghini has for the Australian market, according to Baldi.

“We see the Australian market has potential. We've shown more interest in Australia since 2011. We've moved from a single distributor to a network of four dealers, based in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. The trend for super luxury sports cars is encouraging.”

To date, more than 40 Australian Huracan orders have been received, although the expectation is these vehicles may take up to 18 months to deliver. “It is the same story around the world,” said Baldi.

“Currently we are not at full production capacity, at less than 10 cars per day,” added Maurizio Reggiani, Board Member for Research and Development.

"This will increase to 14 cars per day by January 2015.”

The latest supercar from Sant'Agata Bolognese has some big shoes to fill, as Lamborghini's biggest-ever seller, the Gallardo, found 14,022 homes globally over a 10-year production period.

But the Huracan is not only considerably 'cheaper' than Ferrari's mid-engine challenger, the 458 Italia ($525,417 plus ORCs), the latest Lamborghini is also more powerful than the 4.5-litre V8-powered Ferrari, with 448kW generated at 8250rpm and a 560Nm torque peak at 6500rpm. For reference, the 458 produces 425kW and 540Nm.

Building on the successful Gallardo formula, the Huracan (named after a fighting bull of the Spanish Conte de la Patilla breed which fought in Alicante in 1879) retains a naturally-aspirated 5.2-litre V10 and, in initial LP 610-4 form at least, all-wheel drive.

To generate and maintain those outputs, the Huracan's dry-sump V10 sports a combination of direct and indirect fuel-injection and variable valve timing. It also complies with Euro 6 emissions regulations and achieves claimed combined fuel consumption of 12.5L/100km on the Euro cycle.

No manual transmission is offered. Instead, the Huracan uses a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox to assist in achieving 0-100km/h acceleration in a claimed 3.2 seconds.

Other tech highlights include electromagnetic damper control, electromechanical power steering with a variable-ratio option and the option of carbon-ceramic brake discs.

The ANIMA steering-wheel mounted switch controls strada (road), sport and corsa (race) modes, while the stability control system can be deactivated completely if required.

Compared to the already-sharp Gallardo, the Huracan adopts an even bolder, edgier design that incorporates LED tech for all exterior lighting, including the main headlights.

Under the skin lies an aluminium and carbon-fibre ‘hybrid' chassis that is clothed in a combined aluminium/composite bodyshell. Dry weight is an impressive 1422kg.

When asked about future Huracan derivatives, Reggiani said: “Right now, we focus on the Huracan LP 610-4.

"A road-going version of the two-wheel drive Huracan Super Trofeo, for example, would be more difficult than the Gallardo [road car] we did, because the new race car is built specifically for racing, where with the Gallardo the Super Trofeo racer was an upgraded road car.”

Reports out of the Huracan Super Trofeo's United States launch have speculated both two-wheel drive and Spyder versions of the Huracan are likely, the latter possibly by late-2015.

In Australia, Lamborghini will supply a three-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty on the Huracan LP 610-4, along with a 12-year anti-corrosion warranty.

Orders are currently being accepted via official dealers in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane.

Read our first drive of the local-spec Lamborghini Huracan at the Mt Fuji circuit in Japan