Lamborghini's Estoque Development Shelved (But Not Dead)

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In these economic times, even the mightiest are affected. Despite a production date planned for 2011 if given the go, Lamborghini has showed that it had interests in starting development. However, the economy is currently not in a state for such a car & thus, Lamborghini has decided to put any development on hold.
The worldwide collapse of car sales has hit everyone in the past six months, and super-expensive high-end cars are no exception. With no immediate signs of either a general economic recovery or an auto sales boost on the horizon, now hardly seems like the time to develop an all-new exotic sedan. With that in mind, Lamborghini reportedly has shelved plans to build the Estoque, which debuted as a concept at last fall's Paris Motor Show. Given the positive response it received, Lamborghini had started feasibility studies aimed at producing the new four-door. Instead, the company will focus on new versions of both the Gallardo and Murcielago, with a particular focus on weight reduction.

R&D boss Maurizio Reggiani is also apparently rejecting calls for a dual clutch gearbox to replace the current e-gear automated manual. Reggiani calls the DCT "too smooth" and lacking in the drama Lambo owners want. Based on our experience with that gearbox in an Audi R8, we would describe it as being more embarrassing than dramatic. Since we don't have the budget for a Lambo, Reggiani likely doesn't give much credence to our opinion, though.
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http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/21/doa-lamborghini-reportedly-wont-built-the-4-door-estoque/

2011 is still under a couple years off, so the Estoque still may come out one day, maybe even with the Murcielago's successor. But at this time, nobody is safe from a hurting economy.
 
The Estoque was the Dodge Charger lookalike, right? No great loss for Lamborghini. I wouldn't want to have to fight the DB9 four door, and I was worried that putting all of that money into developing it would have been awful if it had bombed.

Though the excuse for the E-Gear is silly. A DSG box wouldn't be crappy enough to replace the E-Gear system? :lol:
And its nice to know that they want to keep the Murcy going for a while longer, even if the reasoning isn't because of ideal circumstances (at least its classic Lambo reasoning).
 
Toronado
The Estoque was the Dodge Charger lookalike, right? No great loss for Lamborghini. I wouldn't want to have to fight the DB9 four door, and I was worried that putting all of that money into developing it would have been awful if it had bombed.

Though the excuse for the E-Gear is silly. A DSG box wouldn't be crappy enough to replace the E-Gear system? :lol:
And its nice to know that they want to keep the Murcy going for a while longer, even if the reasoning isn't because of ideal circumstances (at least its classic Lambo reasoning).
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The Murcie. continuing on may be due to that, supposedly, Lamborghini is not going to be a "wild" company anymore & may start producing more tame vehicles in order to make VAG happy. I don't know any full details, but apparently, the company's owners seem to want it producing completely different kind of cars, perhaps to appeal to a larger market.
 
Apparently, Lamborghini is saying otherwise to the rumors of the car being canned.
After a series of stories surfaced over the weekend reporting the demise of the Lamborghini Estoque, the supercar manufacturer has issued a statement addressing the rumors. According to Lamborghini, the Estoque has not been killed off, but it hasn't been approved for production either.

The release continues to tow the company line that if a new model is added to the Lamborghini line-up, "a four door luxury performance saloon could be a logical product strategy."

When the Estoque was revealed in Paris, the 500-horsepower, V10-powered all-wheel drive sedan was hailed as the automaker's first volume model – a daily driver that could conceivably sell between 2,000 and 3,000 units annually. Speculation of the Estoque's eminent arrival in 2011 was stoked when the company's R&D chief Maurizio Reggiani, said that a case was being made to VW's board and that a mule was currently undergoing testing. Hit the jump to read Lamborghini's brief release.
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http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/23/lamborghini-denies-estoque-death-rumors/
 
Toronado
Though the excuse for the E-Gear is silly. A DSG box wouldn't be crappy enough to replace the E-Gear system? :lol:
Click to expand...

I think it's more proof that Lamborghinis aren't built with a race track in mind at all. It would probably be pretty easy to make the clutches in the DSG slower and slam harder for a jerky feel, yet still have the ability to complete super fast shifts when drivers will want faster shifts on a race track. Silly Lambo...

I don't think I could say anything negative about the DSG gearbox. Well, I could, but that's all in the computer, and would be very easy stuff to change. But the thing is an awesome piece of engineering.
 
NO! apparently it hasn't been shelved... i read autoblog as well (ardently) and found out that lambo just might bring it back...

@philly: dsgs are smoother in the city and deliver quick shifts, but they are wider and heavier than auto-clutch transmissions liek the e-gear.
 

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