Lamborghini announced this week that it is considering adding an “everyday” car to its portfolio, raising figurative eyebrows across the internet.
For a brand long associated with the most expensive things in life, Lamborghini’s announcement at a Reuters summit seemed a little out of character.
But, argued Lamborghini boss Stephen Winkelmann, the brand wants to have something that can be used on a daily basis.
It will be the third model line from Lamborghini, which currently offers the €145,000 Gallardo and €225,000 Aventador, two eye-wateringly expensive models which ensure Lamborghini remains something of a rarity on the roads — it will sell approximately 1,500 this year, said Winkelmann.
It’s thought that the model could be a production version of the Estoque, a four-door car concept first shown at the Paris Motor Show in 2008, although naturally there’s been no confirmation yet.
Predictably, the announcement caused a storm of opinion on both sides, with Time describing the idea as “brilliant – though almost blasphemous” and Stuff Magazine New Zealand noting that it would join a trend from Porsche, Aston Martin and Ferrari for sporty yet practical four-door models.
On the blogs, reaction was more divided, with one contributor at MotorTrend saying that the Italian firm shouldn’t “water down the exclusivity of the brand,” and another adding that “Lower priced models are called Audis and their lower priced models are called VW.”
On AutoBlog, however, users were more sanguine, commenting “I could see this working out” and several others praising the appearance of the Estoque.
Either way, fans will have to wait some time before anything is for certain — Winkelmann said a low-end model could be on the road in four years.
