Lamborghini Urus SUV Plans Move Forward, Awaiting VW Group's Approval

Nearly three years ago, Lamborghini unveiled a radical new concept at the 2012 Beijing Auto Show, following the same path that Porsche took with its Cayenne by unveiling a sporty SUV known as the Urus. According to motoring.com.au, it seems that the team over at Sant'Agata are moving forward with those plans, which is a 2017 debut.

Andrea Baldi, General Manager of Automobili Laborghini Asia Pacific told motoring.com.au that the company is moving forward with its plans and that “the decision has been already taken.”

He adds, "If we have a third model it will be an SUV. We think that given the DNA of the company, a sport utility vehicle is better fitting with our nature, our ambition."

However, as Lamborghini is part of the Volkswagen Group, certain considerations and strategic decisions will have to be made before any of that can happen.

As of current, the production capacity at Sant'Agata only handles the production of two models, the Aventador and Huracan. Should a third model join the mix, the company would have to expand production facilities and the Urus could be the first Lamborghini built outside Italy.

With other sister companies within the VW Group such as Porsche and Bentley, the Urus could adopt hybrid powertrain or foundations from the next-generation Cayenne and Bentley Bentayga.

Baldi said that Lamborghini’s brand image would not be tarnished by an SUV because: "There are customers who love the brand a lot but they cannot utilise the super sport car as much as they would like. They can't take their kids or golf clubs with them, there's ground clearance issues, especially in markets like India and South East Asia.”

Competion comes in the form of the Porsche Cayenne, Bentley's upcoming Bentayga, and Jaguar's F-Pace.

Whether or not a production version of the Lamborghini Urus will be officially announced will depends on the final specifications, business feasibility, and production base.