It seems every car company these days wants a piece of the raised-car-with-awd market. After all it is a lucrative one. Porsche went there with the Cayenne, which basically saved the company, and Maserati have confirmed their entry, the Kubang. Meanwhile, Aston Martin is working on a new age Lagonda and Bentley have confirmed their entry into the market as well.
Now, Lamborghini follow the trend with the unveiling of their Urus SUV at the Beijing Auto Show.
The Urus is a futuristic looking, medium-sized AWD that Lamborghini would like to see parked in garages alongside Gallardos and Aventadors.
Lamborghini are expecting sales numbers of around 3,000 units per year, which dwarfs current Lamborghini production. Currently, the Gallardo, with sales between 800-1,200 units per year, is the Italian company’s biggest seller.
Lamborghini traditionally name their vehicles after famous Spanish fighting bulls. With the Urus, they’ve gone further back; the name being that of the believed ancestors of today’s domestic cattle. Huge, powerful brutes that stood up to 2 metres tall. Hmm, subtle hint there.
The initial power source will be the 6.5L 60 degree V12 from the Aventador. Urus’ peak power is down to 440kW from the Aventador’s 515kW, but Lamborghini say it is tuned for more torque across the entire rev range. Which makes sense, considering the expected extra bulk and weight of the SUV compared to the halo supercar. The car maker is also promising the engine will produce the best C02 emissions ratings in the class.
Lamborghini will neither confirm, nor dismiss, the option of other engines to come at a later stage, but don’t be surprised if the Gallardo V10 makes it’s way under the bonnet at some point.
Despite it’s size, Lamborghini say the Urus will be a strict 4 seater. We’re promised that each of those 4 people will be ensconced in superb luxury.
The Urus has liberal use of carbon fibre to bring the weight down, even going so far as to have a carbon chassis.
It is no mistake or chance that the Urus has been unveiled in China first. The Chinese are in love with high performance cars, but also have unmade roads and rocky areas that require more ground clearance than the typical supercar has to offer. In fact, it’s downright trecherous in some places.
To that end, Lamborghini have installed variable ride-height suspension with generous amounts of elevation change. Parent company, Audi, will be supplying the AWD hardware and dual clutch transmission systems to transfer power to the wheels both on and off road.
Speaking about the bright red Urus at the Show, Stefan Winkelmann, the CEO of Automobili Lamborghini said “The Urus is a very concrete idea for the future of Lamborghini – as a third model line and as the perfect complement to our super sports cars. The Urus is the most extreme interpretation of the SUV idea. It is the Lamborghini of SUVs. The Urus means that a Lamborghini can now be used by a household as its primary car.”
If initial reaction is anything to go from, the Urus will be a big positive for the finances of the Italian sports car company, with enquiries and order requests being placed within hours of the show car being presented.
Michael Adams for Infinite-Garage,
Article Originally Written for World Car Reviews