Lamborghini Urus SUV Unveiled Ahead of Auto Salon China

Lamborghini took the wraps off of its sharp-lined Urus SUV just before it will be revealed at the Auto Salon China in Beijing on April 23. Like the Bentley EXP 9 SUV that we saw on the Geneva Motor Show, the Urus is a concept that will not make production unless it gets good buzz at the show and from the international press. 

The Urus has 600hp, but Lamborghini has not revealed how it will be making this power. Although, Lamborghini claims that the car will have the lowest CO2 production in its class because of its light weight. It could use a small V10 or, perhaps more likely, a turbocharged V8 borrowed from its parents at Audi. That power gets to the road routed through all-wheel drive. 

The Urus has the sharp, angular lines of the the rest of the Lamborghini line, and it exudes the style of every Lamborghini since the Countach. It looks like a higher riding version of the Estoque sedan that Lamborghini showed in 2008.  The front end has three large air intakes leading up to a hood with dual power domes and air intakes. The headlights are full LEDs with LED running lights as well. It appears almost narrow compared to the wide rear hips that are filled by some massive wheels. It is 4.99m long, 1.99m wide and 1.66m high. 

The side is composed of a number of sharp lines that all end in the rear hatch. Just in front of the front doors is a brake cooling duct cut into the body. The wheel wells are especially fun. They look like squared circles. In the front the wells point to the rear, and in the rear they point to the front like two arrows pointing into the center.

Around back there are four exhausts with a rear diffuser that mixes in the looks of a rear differential guard. It looks like Lamborghini will not be making the visibility out of the rear of its cars any better any time soon because the rear window is almost vertical and about as tiny as a sniper scope. 

The only bad portion of the design are the giant wheels that will hopefully stay on the concept version. They are 24 inches in diameter with a double spoke design. Though, like the Aventador J, the wheels include carbon fiber winglets to direct cool air to the brakes. 

The interior is pure concept with stitched leather seats stretched over seats that appear to be hacked out of marble. The material is actually carbon fiber reinforced plastic that has not been painted. This marble effect is carried into the door panels, center console and parts of the dashboard. There are also pieces of carbon fiber trim on the air vents. It seats four, and Lamborghini is claiming that this will be its first car ever that could be used as a family for daily use. It has no conventional external mirrors, but there are rear-facing cameras whose images are displayed on screens outside the car where the mirrors would usually be. 

The name Urus comes from an ancient form of cattle that has a close genetic link to the bulls used for fighting in Spain. 

Lamborghini thinks that the US, Germany, UK, Russia, Middle East and China will be key markets for the SUV, and it hopes to sell 3000 a year, if the truck goes into production. 

We will have to wait about a week to see if the Urus is more popular than the EXP 9 F. The Lamborghini certainly looks prettier than the Bentley, but that does not mean anything if people are not willing to buy it.