Lamborghini Won’t Ditch Naturally Aspirated V12 Just Yet

Lamborghini is promising that it won’t be abandoning its naturally aspirated V12 engine.

While those other Italians up the road in Maranello have been quick to adopt downsized turbo engines, Lamborghini boss Stefano Domenicali vows his company won’t cave to regulatory pressure, assuring fans the naturally aspirated V12 will continue to live on in Lamborghini flagships.

“I think that the V12 is still alive, to be extended because it is such an important part of our tradition and heritage. The future of the V12 is still important,” Domenicali said in an interview with Australian publication CarAdvice at the launch of the new Aventador S in Spain.

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“Emissions are important, of course, and our goal is always to improve the efficiency of the engine, but with our numbers, we don’t see realistic issues in the short term.”

Domenicali promises the Aventador will keep its V12 through the end of its lifespan in 2022, as will its replacement. “The Aventador has more than five or six more years to run and the next platform also has a V12 at the center of the project.” Assuming Lamborghini continues to release a flagship once every decade, the naturally aspirated Lamborghini V12 will be with us until 2032, at least.

However, Sant’Agata won’t ignore turbo technology completely. When the brand’s first SUV since the LM002 makes its production debut later this year, it will arrive with a 4.0-liter biturbo V8 borrowed from its corporate cousins at Porsche. The upcoming SUV will also be the brand’s first-ever hybrid.

This article originally appeared on Luxury4Play.com