The 2026 Lamborghini Temerario supercar still benefits from broader Volkswagen Group expertise – despite there no longer being an Audi equivalent – according to the raging bull brand’s chief technical officer, Dr Rouven Mohr.
Due in Australian showrooms in the first half of 2026, the Temerario will be priced from $613,885 before on-road costs, sitting below the flagship V12 Revuelto, launched this year from $987,908 before on-roads.
The Temerario uses a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 petrol spinning to 10,000rpm and three electric motors as part of a hybrid setup, enabling a rapid 2.7-second 0-100km/h sprint and 343km/h top speed.
The new supercar replaced the Huracan as the entry-level Lamborghini, which was powered by a 5.2-litre naturally aspirated V10 petrol engine also used in two generations of Audi R8 supercar.
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The Huracan – like the Gallardo before it – was twinned to create the Audi R8 supercar for the fellow Volkswagen Group brand, giving both brands credible road-going models and sports car (GT3) racing competitors.
Production of the R8 commenced in 2006 and ended in 2024.
Yet the Temerario is the first entry-level Lamborghini for three generations not to share its underpinnings with Audi – making it the first since the 1988 Jalpa – with the German brand quitting sports car racing to join the Formula One grid in 2026.
This doesn’t mean the Italian brand was left to develop the Temerario alone given there’s no Audi-equivalent this time around – but nor is it a Volkswagen parts bin special, either.
“This [being part of the Volkswagen Group] is an absolute strength,” Dr Mohr, Lamborghini’s chief technical officer, told CarExpert.
“For sure, we are discussing synergy [with other VW Group models], this is clear … [but] for me, I’m fully convinced the Volkswagen company is the only group that lets the brands lead their own events.”
The Lamborghini tech boss explained developing parts which have limited impact on the customer’s experience is not an intelligent business approach.
“It simply doesn’t make sense, to be honest – what is the differentiation factor, addition value for the for the customer, for [separate development of] the climate control?” he said.
“But if you look at the at the product defining components – and I can give you also really specific examples on the car – we have the full freedom for sure.”
The Temerario is loaded with ‘product defining components’, as Dr Mohr puts it.
“The electric front axle was a standalone development … the battery is a standalone development – we are using only in the [VW] Group cell, because we are not developing cells, chemical cells, but the battery assembly and so on [is Lamborghini].”
“Cooling concept is Lambo. Gearbox is only Lambo. Engine – people think it’s based on the [Lamborghini] Revuleto [V12] engine – it has nothing to do with the Revuleto,” Dr Mohr explains.
“Because if you want to rev 10,000rpm, to be honest, you cannot start with the standard V8. You can reach a 10,000 because you start everything based on the mechanical configuration of the engine with this [10,000rpm] point [in mind], so this is completely standalone.”
The V8 includes a ‘hot vee’, the term used to describe turbochargers mounted within the 90-degree cylinder banks, which again aren’t taken from another Lamborghini or Volkswagen Group powertrain.
“[The Revuleto’s] turbochargers are not used [the Temerario’s are smaller for better response], but there is a pump for the cooling circuit – something like that is carryover – but the rest is standalone,” the tech boss explained.
“This [synergy], I have to say, is one of the strengths. As an organisation, we became focussed on the differentiation … we could balance what is important for the brand and what is make or break to make a difference”
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