Lamborghini and other supercar companies like Ferrari have the unenviable task of trying to meet emissions and fuel economy standards without sacrificing performance or watering down their brand image with economical ringers. Lamborghini, like Ferrari, has figured out that computer controlled automatic transmissions are a great way to increase fuel economy without ruining a car’s performance. According to Car and Driver, Lamborghini will give up on the manual transmission in the near future. Apparently, less than five percent of the brand’s vehicles are currently sold with clutch pedals.

Lamborghini is not considering turbocharging as an option for its supercars, claiming that the linear response its naturally-aspirated engines provide would be compromised. Lamborghini is also worried that the addition of a turbocharger would affect the sounds of its cars, and the company isn’t willing to make that change just yet. Instead, Lamborghini plans to add cylinder deactivation and stop/start capabilities to its new cars.

Before you decry the loss of the manual transmission as the neutering of the modern supercar, keep in mind that these are 500-plus-horsepower monsters that can hit 200-mph and will go 0-60 in less than four seconds. Sure, a stick-shift makes driving a Corolla much more entertaining, but you’d have to be a pretty jaded person to get bored driving a Gallardo with an automatic.

Image via lambocars.com.