Whilst trawling the internet for interesting things to write about, I came across something I never thought I’d see in a million years. The words Lamborghini, a name synonymous with the ultimate in supercar madness, and SUV, the type of car mums would ferry the kids to school in. However upon closer inspection and looking at the early concept pictures, I quickly realised there’s probably nothing to worry about.
The front end looks like it’s been taken straight from the Aventador (which was always going to be a good idea) and the aggressively narrowing rear window gives it a much better homage to the coupe than any of its supposed competitors.
Lamborghini SUV – Released Back in 2012 at Beijing Auto Show
The Lamborghini Urus was first unveiled at the Beijing Auto Show in 2012 and has been shrouded in mystery ever since, with the small motor company keeping their cards very close to their chest. One of the things we do know is that they decided to delay the Asterion concept in favour of making the Urus a reality. This is a major step in the Lamborghini history books, deciding to ditch the idea of a plug-in hybrid supercar in favour of a bigger, more practical car they envisage will be usable every day.
Currently there are only 2 models on the menu at the Italian car kitchen, the Huracán and the Aventador. Whilst there are slightly different flavours of these main models, essentially the line-up remains limited, so if you’re in the market to spend hundreds of thousands of your hard-earnt pounds, you had best make sure you don’t need to take more than one passenger or carry a set of golf clubs.
Lamborghini Urus Details
Concrete information remains limited for the Urus, with an expected production year of 2018 I suspect we’ll be waiting for some time to hear about spec, pricing and engine variants. One thing we do know is that it’ll be sat on the same platform as the Audi Q7, which gives us some idea of its size. As I mentioned earlier, it’s thought this will be marketed to existing Lamborghini owners, as research suggests their customers tend to own a more practical everyday car for doing the shopping and the school run.
Fastest Accelerating Production 4×4 on the Market?
It has also been suggested that this is going to be the fastest accelerating production 4×4 on the market, needing to beat the likes of the X6 M and the GLE63 AMG (neither of which are slouches with a 4.2 second 0-62mph time). And it will likely come with a price tag to match the exclusivity that comes with Lamborghini, with prices of around £150,000 been floated around.
Is There a Market?
This seems like an obvious question, as we all know that the SUV market is booming at the moment. My only concern is what effect it will have on the Lamborghini brand, and is it a step too far in terms of widening the demographic of a brand?
I understand what they are doing, it’s important to try new things in this ever changing world. But how far will the diversification of the range go? In 10 or 20 years will we see Lamborghini hatchbacks or saloons? I know that may be a little dramatic and I really hope it doesn’t happen. But as a very small car manufacturer you have to think of new ways to bring in different and varied audiences.
It’s all About the Emotion
I think as long as they keep their design along the same track, and they keep their range exclusive and exciting, they should be ok. At the end of the day what we all want to see from a Lamborghini is a massive grin on the driver, flames coming from the exhaust and amazement on the face of any bystander watching one fly past. And in my eyes, that should be the same whether it’s a supercar or an SUV. It’s all about the emotion that the emblem invokes and I’m really excited to see how close the production version is to the concept, and even more excited to see what else the raging bull have got up their sleeves.
Images: AutoBlog
