Monday 23rd April 2012

Beijing show: Lamborghini Urus, more info

600hp and around £150K among the facts and figures added to our story on the controversial Lambo SUV

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PH has spoken on the Lamborghini Urus and, though perhaps not quite as hated as the Bentley EXP 9 F SUV, it's not far off.

So, can a bit more info calm or fuel the flames?

Let's find out...

Trademarked 'forged composite' structure

The 'why' bit is obvious enough. There's a huge demand from markets like China for luxurious four-seater cars from Europe's most celebrated brands and Lamborghini is obviously keen to exploit that. Purists may not like it but the economic realities are impossible to ignore and the example of the Porsche Cayenne is one no sports car brand can afford to dismiss. Lamborghini has toyed with the idea of a four-door - theEstoque most recently - but has opted for an SUV on the grounds that it is, apparently, "more emotional." Not wrong there, going by the responses below...

So the Urus is happening. What about the tech then? Well, Lamborghini is promising 'around' 600hp and, in the very next sentence in the press release, talks about having the lowest CO2 figure of any comparable vehicle. How times have changed, though if Lamborghini is simply choosing to compare itself with Range Rover Sports and the like it's not too ambitious a target. Even masters of the CO2 spinning game BMW can only get the X6 M down to 325g/km, so let's not go expecting miracles not matter how much carbon Lamborghini flings at the Urus in an effort to keep weight down.

Urus will be off-road capable, we're promised

Lamborghini has been pressing ahead with new carbon fibre-based technologies of late, some structural, some cosmetic like the 'carbonskin' upholstery in the Aventador J from Geneva. The Urus gets a skeletal 'Forged Composite' (trademarked technology, it would appear) backbone that's visible in the interior and looks not entirely unlike granite in its surface texture. Though, one would hope, is a bit lighter.

There's plenty of other technology too, including an adaptive rear spoiler and a height adjustable front splitter that can be raised so you don't rip it off, should you wish to explore the Urus's off-road ability. The suspension will also permit a variable ride height for such occasions, should they ever actually occur.

Perhaps the most surprising figure of all is the price; Lamborghini hasn't confirmed anything yet but in an interview with PH carried out before the show, boss Stephan Winkelmann suggested the Urus could be pitched at around 150,000 euros, which seems surprisingly, well, cheap. Winkelmann admitted this would vary according to the market conditions but the Urus could well end up being the most accessible Lamborghini yet.

Lambos on the school run? In certain postcodes it could well happen.

Original story below.

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That Lamborghini had an SUV on the way was perhaps the worst kept secret in the business. The same, it seems, can be said for the official press photos that were meant to be under embargo until Sunday evening ahead of its official debut at Beijing.

Like a Lambo, but, well, more so

But seeing as everyone else seems to be running them here they are in full public view. Ladies and gentlemen, we present the Lamborghini Urus.

And it's ... kind of what you might have expected a Lamborghini SUV to look like. Which is, frankly, a hell of a lot better than Bentley's attempt at Geneva. Where that car looked like a lazy hotch potch of saddle leather, chrome and over inflated Bentley styling cues the Urus looks bonkers, extreme, completely over the top and therefore totally Lamborghini.

No surprises that Beijing is the chosen forum in which to launch it either, the Chinese taste for luxury European brands, bling SUVs and larger, four-seater cars colliding in spectacular fashion.

Huge debt owed, even if it looks nothing like LM002

And how Lamborghini's current bosses must be giving thanks to their 70s predecessors and the LM002 that has given them just enough 'currency' to launch a 4x4 Lambo into a climate that's now crying out for such a thing. Cool as it was the LM002 was, officially, something of a flop with only 300 sold.

But the concept has finally come good. 30 years is some wait for a return on investment but how Lamborghini must now be rubbing its hands with glee.

Not least at the thought that Ferrari would have to swallow a massive, massive brave pill before trying anything like it, no matter how much the commercial case might argue for it.

So here it is. We'll have more information on it after the official unveiling but, for now, feast your eyes on the pics and let us know what you think...

[MonteV]

Which platform is it built on? The front looks too much like the Cayenne. The rest with all angles and sharp edges does look like a "modern" Audi made Lambo.

Edited by MonteV on Friday 20th April 18:14