Lamborghini’s New SUV
The axiom that nothing succeeds like success has gained another convert. Lamborghini, a company known primarily for its sleek, extravagant sport cars, announced that it, too, was jumping aboard the bandwagon. Lamborghini will begin manufacturing and selling a super-premium SUV to compete with those of Maserati, Bentley and Rolls Royce.
When you think of a Lamborghini for sale, you think of a muscular car with a low silhouette and two seats, not a Sport Utility Vehicle. Most people don’t know it, but Lamborghini was one of the first automakers to offer an SUV. Back in the 1980s, Lamborghini put the LM002 on the market. Huge and ugly, the LM002 resembled a cross between a modern-day Hummer and a Jeep. But that was then and this is now. According to most experts, Lamborghini’s new SUV will be a direct reflection of the company’s 2012 concept SUV – the Urus.
The success of Porsche’s super-premium SUV, the Cayenne, caused all the other luxury car manufacturers to sit up and take note. Even the naysayers have had to admit that SUVs aren’t going to fade away. In fact, the popularity of SUVs continues to increase.
Lamborghini projected that it could sell 3000 units per year of its new SUV. While on the surface that number doesn’t sound very impressive, it would double the company’s yearly output of automobiles and produce a significant impact on the bottom-line. According to Tom Libby of IHS Automotive, “The profits from these vehicles are extraordinary.”
Mr. Libby is correct.
Volkswagen Group owns Audi, and Lamborghini is a subdivision of Audi. In 2015, Audi was responsible for 15% of Volkswagen Group’s car sales. Yet Audi’s 15% accounted for 32% of Volkswagen Group’s total revenue, along with 50% of the company’s operating profit. This seeming imbalance reflects the higher price tags and high profit margins of luxury vehicles.
The foundation of the Urus will be the same one utilized by the Volkswagen Touareg, the Porsche Cayenne and the Audi Q7. And although no one knows for sure yet, some experts suggest that the 5.2-liter 600HP V-10 that powered the Gallardo and the Huracan will power the Lamborghini Urus for sale, and that both hybrid and diesel models could appear later.
If Lamborghini’s new SUV is anything like the Urus, it will be a speed-of-light-work-of-art. The exterior of the Urus is sleek and futuristic with a double scoop of rough and ready. Inside, there’s lots of creamy soft leather and a dashboard straight out of Ridley Scott’s Prometheus.
Lamborghini’s competition in the super-premium SUV marketplace will be stiff: Bentley’s new SUV, the Bentayga (a mountain in the Canary Islands), reportedly has been restyled and improved from its concept-car debut. The Levante, Maserati’s SUV, remains something of a mystery, although insiders expect it to resemble Maserati’s Kubang SUV. Rolls Royce calls their SUV the Cullinan, which is described as a high-bodied car rather than an SUV. And don’t forget the BMW X6 M, Land Rover Range Rover Supercharged, Porsche Cayenne Turbo and Mercedes Benz ML63 AMG.
Eager enthusiasts won’t be able to purchase one until 2018. The price? Somewhere between $200,000 and $250,000.
