Lamborghini Urus Performante in the works

Does the Urus need a go-even-faster model? Or a rescue version?

Well this is a shock. Who’d have guessed that Lamborghini would be right in expecting a drastic increase in global demand following the introduction of its Urus? Borrowing the formula established by group stablemate Porsche, the company was busy expanding its Sant'Agata Bolognese site long before the SUV was revealed and now, with production in full swing, the 650hp brute accounts for more than half of Lambo’s output. In some markets, such as India, it accounts for considerably more. As far as individual model launches go, this has been a very significant one.

It therefore comes as little surprise to learn that Lamborghini is set to ‘Performante’ its sole SUV, even if that means slapping the highly regarded track-honed moniker onto by far its fattest model. The temptation to cash in on Urus demand must be too hard to resist; indeed, Lambo chief technical officer Maurizio Reggiani recently told Automobile Magazine that producing a Performante “will be [the] target also for the Urus”. The numbers speak for themselves, even if for some, the juxtaposing concept of a lightened, track-focussed SUV will be a pill too large to swallow.

But the Urus is to others their first interaction with a Lambo. They don’t think of Performante the way we do – as the most involving Huracan variant yet produced. Although something still tells us that Reggiani’s engineering team will ensure the Urus Performante is appropriately Lambo lairy. An output of close to 700hp from that twin-turbo V8 and even-firmer chassis seem like likely first steps for the future model.

Our snappers haven’t yet caught sight of a Urus that fits the bill for such a machine, suggesting it’s still some way from being finished. They have noticed Lambo’s new, eye-catching support vehicle for its ‘Ring fleet, however, in the form of the black and yellow Urus Rescue Car you see here. With a winch, roof LEDs, bars and a spare wheel, it’s as eccentric as you’d hope a Lambo workhorse would be. And does a fine job of reminding us that Lambo’s creations need not only be a product of sales and marketing decisions, but also just plain old fun.

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