Real-world emissions testing to prolong atmo engines: Lamborghini

If you’d held reservations about the new real-world emissions testing regime recently introduced in Europe, Lamborghini says fear not.

The Italian marque believes its large-capacity, naturally-aspirated engines will in fact be better served by the new emissions tests adopted by legislators.

RDE (Real Driving Emissions) testing has been announced as a supplement to the current WLTP laboratory test by observing outputs on the road at different altitudes, temperatures and speeds.

According to Lamborghini’s head of R&D project management, Riccardo Bettini, the RDE test will favour Lamborghini’s large-capacity engines.

“I don’t want to tell too much but we are looking into this and it seems we can have lower consumption [in real-world testing] because the engine is working better,” Bettini told motoring.com.au.

Lamborghini is clearly approaching a cross-road in its future engine strategy. This week it launched its first turbocharged vehicle, the $390,000 Urus SUV, and there is ongoing chatter about the storied Italian marque embracing hybrid technology to comply with tightening emissions standards.

However, Bettini personally wants to maintain Lamborghini’s traditional sports car legacy, one in which naturally-aspirated engines are commonplace.

“At the moment we know that there will be more challenges ahead,” he said.

“We also know that turbochargers are not the solution on the pollution. The turbo can be a solution on the consumption, but at the moment a car’s consumption is not part of the regulation.

“The improvements that you’d need to make to a turbocharged engine [to make it comply] would be the same as the naturally-aspirated engine concerning the limit of pollution.

“We believe the naturally-aspirated engine for this profile is perfect.”

Asked whether the current V12 engine in the Aventador and the V10 engine in the Huracan would comply with emissions regulations for the foreseeable future, Bettini said: “Absolutely. At the moment we don’t see any kind of restriction that can force us to change engine.”

Bettini’s comments open the door to Lamborghini eventually embracing hybrid technology in a bid to maintain its naturally-aspirated line-up.

It is believed the Urus will become a torchbearer for such technology until the time that Lamborghini is satisfied that hybrid power can work in the Aventador or Huracan.