RE: Lamborghini Urus: Driven
Discussion
Kierkegaard said:
I said before about Ferrari potentially making an SUV.... why?
People say "oh, that's what people want" or "it's the fasting growing niche" or "it makes money" things along those lines.
But hang on. For years, in the USA especially, the saloon (or 'sedan') could be applied to that sentiment, everyone wanted one and could be made a lot of money from. ...but where were the (official) Lamborghini and Ferrari saloons? Or estates? Or hatchbacks?
Yet we're now getting the SUVs - so far removed from the supercar philosophy that they almost have to reverse engineer them to be sporty so you're left with low riding, cramped, ugly carbuncles with huge wheels and dodgy design language.
Just because they can doesn't mean they should.
It's about life(style) branding and associating more aspects of your life outside of the products use-case to brands which are supposed to broadcast to others your station in life, what you do with your life etcetera. A few doors away from my workplace is a Mercedes Benz cafe. There's no cars there. It's in the lobby of an office tower. Long before that existed you can buy a variety of MB branded tat: umbrellas, clothing, bicycles and so on and you can do so for just about every brand. So when we end up with Porsche branded sausages, Harley Davidson coffee (HD coffee actually exists...) and you can drive them home in your Waitrose SUV we'll know we're approaching Peak Branding.People say "oh, that's what people want" or "it's the fasting growing niche" or "it makes money" things along those lines.
But hang on. For years, in the USA especially, the saloon (or 'sedan') could be applied to that sentiment, everyone wanted one and could be made a lot of money from. ...but where were the (official) Lamborghini and Ferrari saloons? Or estates? Or hatchbacks?
Yet we're now getting the SUVs - so far removed from the supercar philosophy that they almost have to reverse engineer them to be sporty so you're left with low riding, cramped, ugly carbuncles with huge wheels and dodgy design language.
Just because they can doesn't mean they should.
Three decades ago you might have suspected the LM002 of not being a particularly good product for the money and you'd probably be right. But it was something they threw together in-house with the aim of flogging a heap to military people and the world ended up with something that a tractor manufacturer who got into supercars to show another supercar manufacturer how it's done could produce. Beautifully crazy but not a huge success for the company and probably indicative of why companies tended to stick to their core product.
Never fear with the Urus as its muscle, guts and bones have been extruded out of the same machine which produces a very similar construct of muscle, guts and bones for other Brands. The Brand applies the finishing touches to apply the Brand style and there you have it.
Edited by rodericb on Saturday 21st April 10:09
The Bentayga concept was criticised and the production car at least tried to be more meek on the eyes, until the chief Lambo designer went to Winkelmann and asked for Max Mosley's ugly stick, challenge accepted: This Urus, it seems, was beaten with the ugly stick until the stick broke IMO.
Does that mean the next car from Lamborghini will be a looker now that the stick is broken?
Does that mean the next car from Lamborghini will be a looker now that the stick is broken?
I prefer it to the Bentley Bentayga, however I wouldn’t been dead in it or associate myself with whom I imagine to be its show off clientele.
The Germans are forgetting that these iconic brands were built on not diluting them with ‘what customers want’ even to the point of financial ruin.
Just look at what used to be premium-ish brands that Sports DIrect bought and printed their logo onto utter tat.
Truly a poshed up VW.
The Germans are forgetting that these iconic brands were built on not diluting them with ‘what customers want’ even to the point of financial ruin.
Just look at what used to be premium-ish brands that Sports DIrect bought and printed their logo onto utter tat.
Truly a poshed up VW.
Blayney said:
I simply don't buy into "lamborghini need to make this so they can keep selling supercars".
A quick Google shows that even in 2009 at the start of the recession sales were down, but still making profit. Another article stated 2016 was a record breaking year for sales and turnover, with profit growing for the 6th year in a row.
I simply think this is VAG trying to eek out as much money from each platform and each brand it owns. With no real thought about the provenance of each brand. Which, I suppose, is exactly what a company like VAG is supposed to do. Lamborghini, to me though, was always about being the more dramatic alternative to Ferrari and it worked for a long time.
When I see a Porsche Cayenne I see an Audi. The same will happen when I see this. It is not a lamborghini to me.
Oh look, yet another person who'll *never* be in a position to buy one going on about how its not a good idea. A quick Google shows that even in 2009 at the start of the recession sales were down, but still making profit. Another article stated 2016 was a record breaking year for sales and turnover, with profit growing for the 6th year in a row.
I simply think this is VAG trying to eek out as much money from each platform and each brand it owns. With no real thought about the provenance of each brand. Which, I suppose, is exactly what a company like VAG is supposed to do. Lamborghini, to me though, was always about being the more dramatic alternative to Ferrari and it worked for a long time.
When I see a Porsche Cayenne I see an Audi. The same will happen when I see this. It is not a lamborghini to me.
Lambo doesn't care what you think. They care what current Lambo owners think and as a group we've spoken... we want this car to be a thing.
Always the same argument, because you can't afford it then you can't comment. The SUV is the ultimate in more money than sense and this latest one up offering will be lapped up by that brigade.
Funny enough, the better looking saloon hasn't been built, because they know this siv will sell more.
Funny enough, the better looking saloon hasn't been built, because they know this siv will sell more.
Jdjd1 said:
How is it a sad day for Lamborghini?
The sales from this will fund future super cars in development
This will sell well, How many ****'s drive RR sports
Sales from the most basic diesel Seat, VW, Skoda, Audi et al could fund all VW sports cars quite happily. Ergo, this car has nothing at all to do with that aspect. It’s purely due to VW’s long standing policy of making as much revenue as humanly possible without completely debasing its performance brands. Whether this business decision is right or wrong is up for people to decide but it doesn’t has anything at all to do with Lamborghini needing to badge up an Audi product to stay in business producing sports cars. The sales from this will fund future super cars in development
This will sell well, How many ****'s drive RR sports
king SUV "coupes" remind me of fat toads and make me vomit.
PGNSagaris said:
Love it and can't wait to see one in the flesh.
Only iffy item is rear door handle.
And the Audi engine. I think it look old good (apart from those door handles which just scream cost cutting) and I’m a big fan of performance SUVs but that engine kills it stone dead. It’s a fast Audi, it’s really not a Lamborghini. I really don’t want to pay 200 notes for an Audi with a Lamborghini badge. Only iffy item is rear door handle.
If the 8 points test applied to what badge you could put on a car then this wouldn’t be allowed to have a Lamborghini badge.
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