Bruce Newton•8 Mar 2013
NEWS
Lambo Urus SUV goes hybrid
But supercars will stay naturally aspirated for as long as possibleLamborghini, one of the last bastions of naturally-aspirated high performance, is set to embrace hybrid powertrains with its proposed Urus SUV.
But the good news is the Italian supercar legend’s supersports models, the V12 Aventador and the replacement for the V10 Gallardo, will avoid both forced induction and electrification for as long as possible.
The hybridisation of Urus, which is scheduled to appear around 2017 – if it gets final approval from Lamborghini’s parent, the Volkswagen Group – was confirmed to motoring.com.au by Maurizio Reggiani, the company’s research and development director.
Speaking in an exclusive interview at the Geneva motor show this week, Mr Reggiani said: “It (Urus) will be the perfect car for the hybridisation of Lamborghini.
“We think hybrid is a perfect fit in a car like the Urus,” he continued. “You have the right storage for the battery and the right packaging for the car. This can be perfectly fitted with the power, brand and our size of car.”
The Urus, which would form a vital third leg of Lamborghini’s product portfolio, broke cover as a concept at the Beijing show in 2012.
Lamborghini has made it clear the production version will be very similar in appearance to the concept. The question now is just what platform will underpin it.
Mr Reggiani made it clear Urus would not be a unique Lamborghini development, meaning it will probably share the VW Group’s highly flexible MLB architecture with the next generation Porsche Cayenne, Audi Q7 and Bentley’s proposed SUV.
“Part of our strategy is that if we have approval to build the Urus is to use a platform of the group because this is something where we can benefit in terms of development, in terms of competence, in terms of investment.
“Our wish is to use a platform from the group but create a Lamborghini personalisation in terms of the dynamic behaviour of the car and the appearance of the car. This is where we have the freedom to make our DNA inside the car.”
Mr Reggiani said Lamborghini hoped to have a green light from VW for Urus this year.
The company’s determination to stick with natural aspiration for its supersports models was underlined at Geneva, where it unveiled the 552KW V12 Veneno.
It was a direct contrast to its rival supercar makers Ferrari and McLaren, which revealed the boosted and electrically-assisted LaFerrari and P1 respectively. Porsche will roll out its hybrid 918 at Frankfurt in September.
“What for us is the supersport car, from the purist point of view is clear,” said Mr Reggiani. “The best engine is a naturally aspirated engine and the best car is as light as possible.
“Till when will be possible, we will take this to extreme because if you start to move to hybrid you start to compromise the pursuit of performance of the powertrain and increase weight.
“At the moment we stay like we are... At the moment still, when possible is naturally aspirated engine, when something is changed is turbocharger. And after that it will be again be a requirement from legal, from fuel consumption, it will be plug-in hybrid, or electrification can be the last choice.
“But it is clear for us that thinking for battery or electric engine in a supersport car you have a solid problem, you have automotive problem, you have weight problem and at the end for us is really far in terms of mindset.”
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Written byBruce Newton
Our team of independent expert car reviewers and journalists
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