ROME: There’s going to be a new “bull” in town sometime in 2018 and it’s probably going to be the biggest one too from Automobili Lamborghini after announcing the Urus luxury SUV will be the third model to join its product range.
We first caught a glimpse of the Urus during the 2012 Beijing Auto Show, and it has been confirmed that the new vehicle will be produced in Sant’ Agata Bolognese to help usher in new avenues of growth as they expand their product range.
Speculation surrounding the new SUV includes it looking like the show car in 2012 and it may get the 600hp V10 engine from the Huracan, but the Italian supercar maker is keeping tight-lipped over such specifics till closer to the official reveal.
That aside, production capacity for its factory will see a substantial increase with the company planning to invest “hundreds of millions of Euros” over the lifecycle of the new SUV.
This will see an increase in the factory’s current area of 80,000 to 150,000 square meters and will include the construction of new facilities, which will include a new production line, warehousing, expansion of its R&D facility and the addition of 500 new employees.
However, this isn't Lamborghini's first dabble in building SUVs, with the company having built the LM002 (nicknamed "Rambo Lambo"), which featured a 5.2-litre V12 with a 5-speed manual that was pulled from the Lamborghini Countach.
To produce the Urus, Lamborghini is in a joint commitment between several other entities that includes Audi AG, which owns Lamborghini as well as the second-largest automaker (topped by Toyota) that owns Audi - the Volkswagen Group.
It goes further to include the Italian Ministry of Economic Development, Italian National Agency for Inward Investments and Economic Development (Invitalia), the Emilia Romagna Region and Union Representatives.
"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 Automobili Lamborghini president and CEO Stephan Winkelmann.
