Although it has yet to be given the green light, the new Urus crossover would become the cheapest Lamborghini in the range, CAR has learned.
The Lambo 4×4 was first shown in Bejing at the 2012 Chinese motor show – signalling Sant’Agata’s intent to take on Range Rover et al with a sporting luxury SUV.
How much the Lamborghini Urus SUV will cost
The target price for the new Lambo SUV is in the area of €170,000 or £135,000 at today’s exchange rates. That’s about €20,000 less than the new Gallardo should command.
According to senior sources, the potential annual sales volume is pegged at 3000 units, which means that the Urus would instantly triple the brand’s presence in the marketplace.
Obviously influenced by the much acclaimed four-door Estoque design exercise, the sporty four-door crossover is based on the same new high-floor MLBevo architecture as the next Audi Q7, Cayenne/Touareg III and Bentley Falcon.
It’s likely to be launched in late 2016, although the VW board is still crunching the numbers.
Will the Urus still be a true Lambo?
The aluminium-intensive Urus should comfortably undercut the two-tonne weight threshold. Although a hybrid drivetrain codeveloped with Porsche and Audi is a distinct possibility, the mainstay engine will be a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 rated at 600bhp and 480lb ft.
If everything goes to plan, the relatively compact Lamborghini SUV (which harks back to the chunky LM002 of which only 301 pieces were built) should be sufficiently profitable to fund a fourth model range.
How about a sporty front-engined 2+2-seater along the lines of 400GT, Espada, Islero and Jarama? Answers on an e-postcard please…