Lamborghini Finally Gets the Green Light for Urus Production, Begins In 2018

[William Maley]

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It has been a long wait for Lamborghini to learn if they could move forward with their SUV project, the Urus. First shown at Beijing Motor Show in 2012, the concept made the rounds at different shows. Since it was first shown, the car generated a lot positive response and caused Lamborghini to make plans for a production model. The only thing in the way was getting the approval from its parent company - Volkswagen.

 

This week, Lamborghini finally got the green light for their new SUV which will come out in 2018. The new SUV doesn't have a name, but it will be built at their Sant’Agata Bolognese facility in Italy. Lamborghini plans on building 3,000 SUVs per year, with many heading to USA, China, the Middle East, United Kingdom, Germany, and Russia.

 

"This is a proud moment for everybody in Lamborghini. The introduction of a third model line endorses the stable and sustainable growth of the company and signifies for us the beginning of a new era," said Lamborghini president and CEO Stephan Winkelmann.

 

Source: Lamborghini

 

Press Release is on Page 2

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New Lamborghini SUV: Production in Sant'Agata Bolognese and investment of hundreds of millions of Euros
Rome/Sant'Agata Bolognese, 2015-05-27

• Lamborghini prepares for a new era
  

Automobili Lamborghini announces a luxury SUV as a third model to join its product range. The market introduction of the series model is planned for 2018. A concept of the car was first presented as the Lamborghini Urus in 2012 at the Beijing auto show.

 

The new vehicle will be produced in Sant'Agata Bolognese and will herald additional growth and significant opportunities across the marque with the expansion of the product range. It will also determine a substantial increase in the production capacity of the factory. Over the lifecycle of the new vehicle the company will invest hundreds of millions of Euros.
The project will be realized due to the joint commitment of several parties involved, including Volkswagen Group with AUDI AG as Lamborghini shareholder, the Italian Ministry of Economic Development, Invitalia (Italian national agency for inward investments and economic development), Emilia Romagna Region, the Union Representatives and the entire Automobili Lamborghini team.

 

Automobili Lamborghini President and CEO Stephan Winkelmann declares: "This is a proud moment for everybody in Lamborghini. The introduction of a third model line endorses the stable and sustainable growth of the company and signifies for us the beginning of a new era."
He adds: "The new SUV will be made in Sant'Agata Bolognese, demonstrating our commitment to safeguarding the values of 'Made in Italy' worldwide."

 

Production of the new Lamborghini SUV in Sant'Agata Bolognese will see significant development of the factory site, increasing from the current 80,000 square meters to an area covering ca. 150,000 square meters. The project will include the construction of new facilities, such as a new production line, warehousing and enlargement of the R&D department. The addition of a third model line will also provide important opportunities for the supplier network in Italy and internationally, and have a strong impact on human resources: Lamborghini intends to hire 500 new employees.
Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management Audi AG states: "Lamborghini, Italdesign Giugiaro and Ducati have developed very successfully under Audi parentage, and kept their Italian identity. With the decision to produce the Lamborghini SUV in Sant' Agata Bolognese we have proven once more our commitment to Italy as an important automotive industrial nation."

 

Luca de Meo, Board Member for Sales and Marketing Audi AG underlines: "Lamborghini is today one of the world's most exclusive brands. We at Audi are very proud of all our Italian subsidiaries. I am delighted at this outcome for both Lamborghini and Italy, and thank the Italian government for their collaboration in helping to make this possible."
A luxury SUV sees Lamborghini challenging an unexploited, fast-growing and fascinating car segment, and expanding its clientele significantly. These will include Lamborghini super sports car customers who to date have driven SUV models from other brands, as well as families and customers new to the Lamborghini marque. Distribution of volumes will be well balanced among the three major sales regions: EMEA, the Americas and Asia Pacific. Target markets will be primarily the USA, China, the Middle East, United Kingdom, Germany and Russia. The annual volumes will be around 3,000 vehicles and will double the company's current sales performance.

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[SalesmanSean]

I feel like the idea of a Lamborghini SUV is just pure blasphemy.  It would be like Yugo putting out a hypercar, it just seems like an awful idea.  Maybe that's just me, maybe I'm blinded by my childhood fantasies of blazing red or sunshine yellow Countachs and should give it a chance, but of all the companies that have added SUVs over the last few years or are adding them this one makes the least sense to me.  It's just the antithesis of what my image of Lamborghini is.

[G. David Felt]

I would agree with you Sean but I have to think that these companies either need to change to a more profitable model and get more diverse or they will end up loosing out and having to either go into the history books or become a niche division of some larger company. But then it already is a niche player for VW.

[SalesmanSean]

I would agree with you Sean but I have to think that these companies either need to change to a more profitable model and get more diverse or they will end up loosing out and having to either go into the history books or become a niche division of some larger company. But then it already is a niche player for VW.

There aren't many of these companies out there trying to go it alone anymore, almost all are niche parts of larger companies, which to me is all the more reason not to tarnish the Lambo legacy with an SUV.  Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike SUVs and crossovers, I just don't think this is a brand that should be doing them.  I know that these vehicles allow for greater profitability, but I think that if you start making volume-type, more family-friendly vehicles like this you diminish the brand and the value of the vehicles you built your name on.  It's similar to the argument about the Ford GT possibly being in the $400k range, people don't see Ford as the kind of company that should be charging that money for a vehicle, they see them as more of a budget company, cars for the common man.  I think something like this brings some of that cars for the common man feel to Lambo and will eventually have people wondering why their spending so much money on a supercar from the same company that they are buying the family SUV from.  Even from VWs standpoint, I know they want to be more profitable, but if it were me, I don't acquire a brand like Lamborghini to make them into more of the same thing I already have.  I buy them to be what they are and to do it at a high level, if they're doing it right there should still be profit.  Can they make more profit there?  Absolutely, but that's not what that brand is there for.  They have mass-market brands to account for bulk profit, Lambo is meant to be a niche, but a highly desireable niche, and an SUV hurts that desirability.

[smk4565]

The market is about to get flooded with ultra high end SUVs.  Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and Maserati are all making one too.  There will be a BMW X7 and a Maybach GL as well.  There could be 5 or 6 SUVs in the $200,000 range in a few years.

[SalesmanSean]

See, now, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, BMW, I get that kind of stuff.  Luxury SUVs have been around for awhile, and these guys do luxury so why not do SUVs?  It's a new model line, but not really a change from what they do best.  Companies like Maserati and Lambo going that way, though...

[Drew Dowdell]

Maserati has always been kinda all over the place with what they do... they've done super cars and they've done executive sedans and they've done luxury limousines.   If I can accept a Porsche SUV, I can accept a Maserati SUV.

 

Lambo however, is just nutz as an SUV. Next they'll be announcing a sub-compact city crossover.... as it would make just as much sense.

[SalesmanSean]

Maserati has always been kinda all over the place with what they do... they've done super cars and they've done executive sedans and they've done luxury limousines.   If I can accept a Porsche SUV, I can accept a Maserati SUV.

 

Lambo however, is just nutz as an SUV. Next they'll be announcing a sub-compact city crossover.... as it would make just as much sense.

When Lambo and Smart merge products to create the all new Fourtwo Aventador Superveloce the world had better watch out.

[El Kabong]

I'm a bit surprised at all the rage thrown Lambo's way because of this, because it isn't the first SUV they've produced-remember the LM-002/004/America?

On the contrary, the only thing wrong with the Urus is that it won't offer a V12 packing a six-pack of Weber carbs like the LM offered.

[SalesmanSean]

I'm a bit surprised at all the rage thrown Lambo's way because of this, because it isn't the first SUV they've produced-remember the LM-002/004/America?

On the contrary, the only thing wrong with the Urus is that it won't offer a V12 packing a six-pack of Weber carbs like the LM offered.

Sadly, I do not remember that vehicle.  Is till don't think it means they're okay to build SUVs, I just think it means they should have learned from a prior mistake.

[balthazar]

LM was hardly a retail thing, nor was it pushed/promoted like undoubtedly the urus will be.

SalesmanSean nailed it; Lambo has not a single business case reason to build it- they existed alone on sports cars for decades, now that they are part of a super conglomerate; why?

[El Kabong]

I dunno, maybe it's an age thing and you needed to be there when the LM002 dropped. It was every bit as nutty as the Countach, which was also an iffy proposition as far as a retail experience.

In any event, I'm a lot less put off by this vehicle then if some other, less crazy outfit decided to do it.

[SalesmanSean]

I dunno, maybe it's an age thing and you needed to be there when the LM002 dropped. It was every bit as nutty as the Countach, which was also an iffy proposition as far as a retail experience. In any event, I'm a lot less put off by this vehicle then if some other, less crazy outfit decided to do it.

I know nothing about this LM, when did that debut/run?

[El Kabong]

Google "Lamborghini LM002" and be prepared to read a story too insane to be made up.

[SalesmanSean]

I'm afraid search engines are verboten here, but maybe I'll check it out when I head home for the evening.

[El Kabong]

I especially recommend Brock Yates' archived review on C/D. It'll turn up pretty high up on a Google search using the keywords I mentioned.

[aurora97]

1.  Lambo has already done the SUV

2.  This will be built on the same platform as the VW Tourreg/AudiQ7/Bentley Arrow/Porsche Cayanne (which will dilute the Lambo's exclusivity)

3.  I hope to GOD that Ferrari does not follow suit with a competitor.

[smk4565]

This will put a lot more V12s on the market.  Lambo will obviously use a V12, Bentley is using V8 and W12 in theirs, Rolls-Royce only has V12s, the BMW X7 is going to have an optional V12.  So all that will force Mercedes to make a V12 SUV, and the horsepower war is on.  

 

The Range Rover and Escalade are not going to be top dogs in the SUV class anymore.

[G. David Felt]

Maserati has always been kinda all over the place with what they do... they've done super cars and they've done executive sedans and they've done luxury limousines.   If I can accept a Porsche SUV, I can accept a Maserati SUV.

 

Lambo however, is just nutz as an SUV. Next they'll be announcing a sub-compact city crossover.... as it would make just as much sense.

I think Lambo see's Porsche success and wants a piece of the profit pie.

[Susimi]

I don't really like the look of it and it just feels wrong that they are going to be producing something like this, but they have to try and go where the money is I suppose, so all the best with it. I hope it does the company well.

[Frisky Dingo]

As long as it is outrageous and dramatic, I have no problem with this. I can only hope it has at least some semblance of off-roadability, like the Cayenne.

[G. David Felt]

Be interesting to see who the last man standing is once all these high end over priced SUV's are for sale and if they recover the R&D cost.