Audi and Lamborghini occupy different tiers of the premium vehicle market. Audi is a German luxury marque that also builds performance vehicles and has a full range of sedans and SUVs. However, Lamborghini is a purebred supercar brand that also offers a sporty SUV. The company has produced some of the world’s most outlandish supercars and hypercars throughout its history.
Since Volkswagen Group acquired Lamborghini in 1998, many Lamborghini and Audi vehicles have shared engine architectures. For example, both have used a 5.2-liter V10 and a 4.0-liter V8. Even today, the relationship continues as Audi’s new Nuvolari is set to use the same twin-turbocharged 4.0-literV8 as the Lamborghini Temerario, continuing a relationship that began decades ago.
5.2-Liter V10
Engine Details
Naturally Aspirated 5.2-Liter V10
Horsepower
435-640 hp
Torque
398-443 lb-ft
Cylinder Bore
3.33 in
Piston Stroke
3.65 in
Compression Ratio
12.5:1
Years Produced
2008-2024
Notable Models
Audi R8 V10, Lamborghini Gallardo, Audi S8
The Lamborghini 5.2-liter V10 wasn’t the first engine to come out of the VW/Lambo arrangement, as the earlier even-firing 5.0-liter V10 preceded it. However, the 5.2-liter lasted a long time and found its way into several models from both brands. Along with the Audi R8 V10 and the Lamborghini Gallardo, it also saw use in models like the Audi S6, the Italdesign Zerouno, the Lamborghini Egoista concept model, and other vehicles.
The 5.2-liter Lamborghini V10 was built specifically with multiple personalities in mind. It could power screaming supercars and deliver enough sheer power to rocket many of them to, and even past, 200 mph without skipping a beat. However, the other task was much more discreet: powering subtly styled performance sedans such as the S8. The job there was to deliver loads of silent, low-end power on the down-low, creating the ultimate sleeper sedan experience.
Because the unit had so many different shoes to fill, the power output range was huge. The range spanned up to 205 horsepower, with the Audi S6 being the least powerful and the Lamborghini Huracán Performante the most. Not to mention, the engine was available at a gamut of price points, from around $75,000 for an S6 to over $200,000 for hot versions of the Huracan.
The Audi/Lamborghini V10 benefited both brands. For Lambo, the mill made some of its supercars much more mechanically reliable than before, while also giving the brand enough wiggle room in performance to propel some of its highest-octane Gallardos and Huracans to extreme power outputs. Audi used the mill to power speedy sedans and its own supercar.
4.0-Liter Twin-Turbo V8
Engine Details
Twin-Turbocharged 4.0-Liter V8
Horsepower
591-657 hp
Torque
590-627 lb-ft
Cylinder Bore
3.39 in
Piston Stroke
3.39 in
Compression Ratio
9.7:1-10.0:1
Years Produced
2012-present
Notable Models
Audi RS6, Audi RS7, Lamborghini Urus
From the exotic and hard-pumping 5.2-liter V10, we move to a somewhat more mundane twin-turbocharged V8. Looking at the grand scheme of things, this mill best showcases Volkswagen’s ability to share technology across its brand portfolio. The 4.0-liter unit first entered the fold in 2012 as an Audi exclusive, before Lamborghini scooped it up for use in the Urus in 2018. Bentley and Porsche have used the mill, too.
Unlike the V10 we discussed, where all its eggs were in the horsepower basket, the 4.0-liter V8 focused on more discreet performance and torque. This also meant the mill was better suited to heavy, four-wheel-drive vehicles, such as the Audi RS Q8 and its platform mate, the Lamborghini Urus.
However, Lamborghini and Audi use the engine very differently, despite relatively similar power outputs across both brands. Audi’s use of the mill, like with the V10, focuses on sleeper-like performance. Silence and low-end grunt matter most, and pure, screaming horsepower is left by the wayside.
For example, the 2020 RS Q8 makes 591 hp, while the Urus from the same period has 641 hp. Not to mention, the Lambo gets a screaming exhaust system. After all, despite using the same engine, Audi and Lamborghini customers are very much different folks, and those who align more with the latter brand are going to appreciate high horsepower numbers, thundering exhaust notes, and bright yellow paint jobs.
The mill itself, known as the EA825 in VW’s engine portfolio, was bred with an incredibly unique ability to serve both humble Audi SUVs with a small penchant for grunt and high-end, loudmouthed (in a good way) Lamborghinis. It can also be used in a high-end luxury sedan, and even a super wagon. While most of these models share fundamentally different bones underneath, they all employ the same EA825.
L411 Hybrid V8
Engine Details
Twin-Turbocharged 4.0-Liter PHEV V8
Horsepower
907-1,001 hp
Torque
538-590 lb-ft
Cylinder Bore
3.54 in
Piston Stroke
3.09 in
Compression Ratio
9.3:1
Years Produced
2024—present
Notable Models
Lamborghini Temerario, Audi Nuvolari
The newest chapter in the Audi/Lamborghini engine-sharing saga is much different than the earlier ones we’ve already discussed. Instead of relying entirely on internal combustion, the L411 uses a plug-in hybrid powertrain. The mill currently powers the Lamborghini Temerario. Plus, Audi recently unveiled its new Nuvolari supercar as a spiritual successor to the R8.
While the Temerario produces just under 920 horsepower in its most potent setting, the Nuvolari is reportedly slated to make 987 horsepower combined, with 800 of those ponies coming from the engine alone. It’s also slated to make roughly 538 pound-feet of torque, strangely less than the Lamborghini. Yet again, we see the duality of this engine, having applications spread across Audi and Lamborghini with widely different output figures.
Lamborghini Temerario Tricolore EditionLamborghini
As far as the Temerario’s position in the partnership goes, it uses the L411 configuration to serve as a direct replacement for the Huracan, which was itself a successor to the Gallardo. The recipe for the L411 is simple: take the existing twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 and fit a plug-in hybrid system made up of three electric motors and a 3.8-kWh lithium-ion battery pack strapped to the car’s central tunnel, between the driver and passenger seats.
The incoming Nuvolari, on the other hand, looks to rekindle the R8’s ability to be both a supercar and a daily driver, and it’s taken a hardline stance against being mistaken for a Lamborghini with Audi badges. The Nuvolari will likely be much more subtle and subdued than any Lamborghini, such as the Temerario, and the 4.0-liter L411 will have to take on a much tamer persona than the one it currently showcases in the Temerario.
The Experiment Continues
Lamborghini Temerario Ad PersonamLamborghini
VW’s engine-sharing evolution has come quite a long way since the company bought Lamborghini back in 1998. Of course, the partnership’s most famous mechanical feat was the 5.0-liter/5.2-liter V10 that stuck around between 2003 and 2024 and powered loads of Lamborghini models, as well as several Audis. Then came the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, also known as the EA825, which continued the engine-sharing tradition in a clearer, more tangible way for the masses.
Now, though, the engine-sharing trend has officially entered its electrified era. Instead of abandoning its engine-sharing program, Volkswagen has decided to evolve with the times while keeping the practice intact. Not to mention, sharing one powerplant across multiple brands and price points is a big win for accountants, as it lets the automaker save boatloads of money.
The Volkswagen mindset regarding the Audi/Lamborghini engine partnership can be summed up simply: build extraordinary hardware once, then let different brands shape it into entirely different experiences.
Sources: Audi, Volkswagen, Lamborghini, MotorBiscuit.com, GearShifters.com, ItalPassion.com.
