Lamborghini is considering building the exotic
Urus SUV concept it is unveiling this week at the Beijing auto show.
The four-seat concept, shown to journalists in
a sneak peek this month at the close of the New York auto show, could be on
sale within 3 1/2 years, company executives said.
Lamborghini's 2008 Estoque sedan concept fell
victim to the economic downturn, but the Urus has a good chance of going into
production, Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann says.
"We think the SUV segment is the right
one," he said. "It has the biggest growth potential and the highest
emotion. We are investing in profitability."
The SUV would borrow portions of Volkswagen
Group's SUV platform, which is shared by the Porsche Cayenne and the upcoming
Bentley EXP 9 F.
Unlike other Lamborghinis that see limited
use, the Urus would be "a daily driver" for some households,
Winkelmann said.
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The SUV would share some rear suspension
parts and powertrain pieces with other VW Group vehicles, said Maurizio
Reggiani, Lamborghini's r&d chief.
But the Urus would be powered by a 600-hp
version of the 5.0-liter V-10 engine in the Gallardo. It also would have a
front suspension and transmission tunnel unique to Lamborghini, as well as
the automaker's permanent all-wheel-drive system, Reggiani said.
And it would use more carbon fiber
construction, with a goal of weighing 220 pounds less than competitive vehicles,
Reggiani added. The concept rides on beefy 305/35R24 tires.
Winkelmann says the Urus could sell 3,000
units globally, which would more than double the automaker's volume. The
sales split would be 45 percent in North America and South America, 30 percent
in China and the Middle East and 25 percent in Europe and Russia.
Lamborghini's already stressed plant in
Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy, may be unable to handle all Urus production,
Reggiani said. But final assembly and customization would take place there.
From 1986 to 1993, Lamborghini built the
LM002 SUV, one of the first entrants into the luxury SUV segment.
Time magazine recently voted the LM002 one of
"the 50 worst cars of all time ... purely because of its appalling
clientele," which included families of Third World dictators and
oligarchs.
But with the growing personal wealth in
China, Russia and the Middle East, Lamborghini is pursuing those markets with
a vehicle better suited to poor road conditions than an Aventador and its
driveway-scraping ground clearance. Already, Bentley and Maserati are adding
top-line SUVs for the same reason, and Aston Martin also has considered one.
Lamborghini's concept is being displayed in
Beijing to gauge market reaction. For development to continue, VW Group CEO
Martin Winterkorn must give it the green light.
Executives declined to discuss possible
pricing. But given the volume projections for the car, it likely would be in
the realm of the Gallardo, which starts at $193,895, including shipping and
the gas guzzler tax.
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