SPOTTED: THE NEW LAMBORGHINI URUS – 600BHP + SUV TESTING IN NOTTINGHAM
Lamborghini's fast and controversial re-entry into the SUV market is approaching its launch date and this is our closest look yet at the Urus.
The development car was snapped by Auto Express reader, Adham Salam, on the road in Nottingham and the 600bhp + SUV looks like it is a few steps closer to production than the test mules spy snappers have previously spotted setting hot laps at the Nurburgring racetrack.
Despite the typically patterned disguise, the snaps show us that the Lamborghini Urus will retain much of the sharp, angular design of the original 2012 Beijing show concept and Lambo's current supercars. It's unlikely to be as practical as most SUVs (with a low, coupe-like roofline and steeply rising shoulders) but it certainly looks distinctive.
Bosses told Auto Express a few months back that the Urus will cost around £180,000 when it goes on sale later this year, and it is set to produce over 600bhp and 800Nm of torque from a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8.
The newcomer was described by the company boss Stefano Domenicali as "a super sports car inside an SUV", and is expected to be officially revealed this summer. The model is one of the most controversial models in Lamborghini's 54-year history and will cost approximately the same as a Huracan and come packed with supercar technology.
Domenicali predicted that the Urus will account for more than half of Lamborghini's global sales by 2019, with the UK potentially being the car's third biggest market, as is currently the case for the brand's sales.
The idea of another Lamborghini SUV has been in the pipeline since 2012 when the Italian supercar manufacturer rolled out the Urus concept at that year's Beijing Motor Show.
Power will be transmitted using a dual-clutch gearbox and four-wheel-drive. In addition, the Urus will feature a similar electronic four-wheel-steering system to the new Aventador S, with electronic dampers as well. Further down the line, Lamborghini will offer the SUV with an option of a plug-in hybrid powertrain as well. This will the Lamborghini's first foray into the future of electrification.
Domenicali remains realistic about his new super-SUV's longer-term potential, despite the fact that the order books are already swelling. "We need to be humble," he said. "We need to start step by step because it's a new world for us."
However, he admitted that, for the first two years, demand for the new Urus might be "a little crazy", because there is always going to be a new SUV with so much power and performance, particularly when it's made by a brand like Lamborghini. "It's an exciting time for us," he added.
What matters the most, according to Domenicali, is what happens after the honeymoon period. He is well aware that once the launch fever has faded, the real hard work to sustain the interest and sales of a near-£200,000 SUV truly begins.