Lamborghini Urus: Charge of the Raging Bull

The Volkswagen emissions scandal triggered the collapse of its stock price and sent shockwaves through the Group. Fortunately, however, it hasn’t affected Lamborghini’s Urus SUV project. And so cars from Sant’Agata Bolognese are set to become twice as big…

On October 12, 2015, Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Lamborghini, decided to meet the company’s employees to reassure them that the diesel-gate scandal won’t affect the Urus project. That’s unlikely to be the final name of the SUV, which is expected to be launched by 2018 – but, at Lamborghini, everybody calls it by that name. Winkelmann’s stand has been appreciated by the 1,200 people working at the Sant’Agata factory – anxious to ward off the threat of additional cuts, already announced by the parent company in Germany. Lamborghini workers had reasons to worry, because the company is in the middle of its most ambitious production phase.

The plan includes doubling the production capacity to almost 6,000 units per year, and the indoor factory surface from 80,000 to 150,000 square meters on the back of more than 800 million Euros of investments. The expansion exercise also involves 500 new jobs. With all these inputs, the model that will emerge after three years of intense work will look completely different from the current line-up. The launch of the third model will not only increase production volumes (with approximately three thousands units, it’ll double the company’s volumes), but it’ll also reshape the production facility completely.

As it happened with Porsche at the time of the Cayenne launch, the Italian company is getting ready to enter a new era. Despite Lamborghini’s quantum shift, Winkelmann acknowledges that the brand’s identity as sports car producer is even better defined than before. “In the last 25 years, we have primarily manufactured super sports cars – even though our DNA includes GT cars and a vehicle like the LM002. At a certain point, the evolution towards a high-wheels vehicle became natural. The analysis of the growth segments has been enough to identify the right direction to follow,” he says.

And it goes without saying that the SUV, which is currently under development, aims at being a true blue Lamborghini in terms of styling and performance. Lamborghini style head, Filippo Perini, and his team have worked hard to mould the Urus into another four-wheeled style icon. “It’s tension and not fluidity which is the key element of our DNA. The angular, taut lines are meant to generate tension. Which means speed, agility, and dynamism,” explains Alessandro Salvagnin, one of the team leaders.

Mechanically, the Urus renounces the carbon structure of the Aventador. Synergies with the VW Group mean that the SUV will share the platform of the new Audi Q7. As you would expect, then, it’s expected to be very comfortable for the family – despite a very aggressive stance and window line. The Urus will be available as both a four-seater and a five-seater. The synergies are expected to extend into the engine compartment as well, where the 4-litre Audi V8 is expected to do duty – with the top variant capable of generating 600 horsepower.

“We’re trying to keep the aspirated engines as long as possible in the Aventador and Huracan, but the SUV has got a social responsibility in terms of emissions,” says Winkelmann, paving the way for turbo and hybrid plug-in power units.

When it’s launched, the Urus will be the most affordable model in the Lamborghini family. But, with an expected price point somewhere between 170 and 200 thousand euros, it’s still going to cost more than the top versions of the Porsche Cayenne. Sales targets are almost 3,000 vehicles per year. The volumes may be limited, but the company believes it’s sufficient to impose a change of direction in the production process.

“One of our main goals is to showcase craftsmanship,” explains Ranieri Niccoli, Director of Production, “which, in a way, we intend to preserve. The human element is going to remain crucial. However, the pattern of activities will be optimized. This means automatic sequence systems for the components, activation of the right tool for each operation required, etc. The whole structure will ensure a reduction of the time-cycle ratio (the time each worker spends on a vehicle) from 90 to 45 minutes. That’s still a world away from a standard production cycle, where each worker has only one or two minutes to complete his or her task.”

The plan doesn’t provide for a paint shop. “We’re still considering this option,” Niccoli declares. This means that the SUV will be painted somewhere else. At present, Lamborghini has been awarded a CO2-free certificate for its plant – so at least in terms of production its supercars emit no carbon dioxide. Let’s wait and see how long before one of their production cars follows the same philosophy…

FAST AND FURIOUS

1963

Ferruccio Lamborghini, who owns a thriving tractor factory, decides to compete with Ferrari. In a super modern manufacturing plant, the 340 GT comes into existence

1998

On the verge of disappearance, the company is acquired by the Volkswagen Group – then managed by Fredinand Piech

2010
Thanks to German finances, Lamborghini opens a carbon fibre production plant and related research department

2011

Murcielago, the first car launched under Volkswagen-Audi ownership, paves the way for the more modern Aventador

2012
The Urus concept is presented for the first time. It was born in the division created for the development of new prototypes

2013
The company premises are enlarged, with the addition of new buildings – including the logistics centre. Between 2010 and 2014, Lamborghini has seen 400 million Euros invested

2014

The Huracan succeeds the Gallardo, and inherits a new production line

2015
It’s official – the Urus will be the third model in the Lamborghini range, and will be manufactured in Italy (below, Winkelmann with the concept).

Starting with the Urus concept of 2012, we tried to imagine the final form of the Lamborghini SUV. With an expected price tag of less than 200,000 Euros, it’s poised to be the most affordable model from Lamborghini

The contact patch will be remarkable, despite the fact that it uses the Audi Q7 platform – as part of VW’s synergy strategy. The solar panels placed on the factory roof, meanwhile, have enabled Lamborghini to achieve the status of being a “C02-free manufacturing company”

In these images you can see the fragmented lines that generate such strong dynamic tension

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