Lamborghini 2018 Urus hybrid SUV concept 2012 - exhibition
Lamborghini 2018 Urus hybrid SUV concept 2012 - exhibition. Image: Road & Track.

Lamborghini will start producing Urus luxury SUVs this April, according to CEO Stefano Domenicali and COO Alessandro Farmsechi. The truck will be the company’s first model that is not a sports vehicle or a supercar.

The Italian automaker will join other industry leaders who have also started developing big luxury vehicles, such as Bentley, Rolls Royce, and Maserati. The Porsche Cayenne was the first of its kind debuting in the market over a decade ago.

Lambo executives believe the Urus will pave the way for a new company with a broader reach. More vehicle options for a more versatile lifestyle also means more earnings for the firm.

Lamborghini Urus: Rumored specs and features

The company already unveiled a near-production model prototype at the Beijing Auto Show five years ago, and spy shots caught recently seem to confirm the Lamborghini Urus is going to look almost the same as the 2012 concept.

Like all modern Lambo cars, the front of the luxury SUV will sport a rather aggressive look with sharp lines, long headlights, and large air vents on both sides of the front grille.

Other than that, the Urus will have a rounded body similar to competing models like the Porsche Cayenne. Not much is known about its performance, but the automaker did reveal its powertrain specs last year.

Lamborghini Urus 2012 Concept rear view
Lamborghini Urus 2012 Concept rear view. Image: Autoevolution.

Two options will be available under the hood for drivers: a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 engine and a hybrid powertrain rumored to be electric and diesel-fueled. All models will offer 4WD capabilities.

Executives have also revealed that the utility vehicles will come in different presentations depending on their performance area. The standard Urus will be for daily driving while the off-road Urus will be more suited for all kinds of terrain.

The Urus will bring some big changes to Lamborghini

Lamborghini has a single factory in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy with production capacity for 3,500 cars a year. The company is expanding its facilities to twice that size to support double the rate of vehicles manufactured.

Those original 3,500 cars will remain Huracan and Aventador models exclusively, with the second lot allotted only for Lamborghini Urus SUVs. Production starts in April and deliveries begin next year.

“WE KNOW THAT OUR FUTURE SUV IS A MODEL YOU CAN USE EVERY DAY IN NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS, BUT IT WILL HAVE LAMBORGHINI DNA SO YOU’LL BE ABLE TO PUSH IT,” CEO Stefano Domenicali said.

The executive sees a future in which luxury customers have both Lamborghini supercars for the passion of owning a sports car and driving it from time to time, and SUVs for the thrill of having top performance in a daily driving vehicle.

Source: Business Insider