Time’s almost up for purely gas-powered Lamborghinis. The Italian automaker of sporty rides is electrifying its lineup, and the Urus just took a big step forward towards that goal. Speaking to a German newspaper, Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann said that the remaining Urus performance SUVs slated for assembly with a pure V8 have already been sold. This means that orders for a brand new Urus are hybrid-only from here on out.
The Urus is, in no uncertain terms, a big money-maker for Lamborghini. The company’s previous big sellers were the V10 coupes Gallardo and its successor, the Huracán, the latter of which, incidentally, is wrapping up production to make way for a hybrid-powered replacement. These sold in high enough volumes to keep the high profile automotive brand in the black, allowing them to produce its even more exclusive V12 Aventador and all the variants attached to each model.
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The 1989 Countach 25th Anniversary is up for auction on Bring a TrailerWhen the Urus came around, it blew all those previous successes out of the water. Like the Porsche Cayenne, Lambo’s performance SUV was a must-have for shoppers seeking the best of both worlds and has printed money for Lamborghini ever since. With all that said, there’s a lot of attention on how the new powertrain will affect the super-successful Lambo.
Right now, the Urus is powered by a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, a unit supplied by sibling brand Audi that’s also found in other offerings from fellow VW Group brands like Bentley’s Continental GT V8 and the Porsche Panamera. It can produce up to 657 horsepower in its S and Performante models. As it’s built on the same platform as the Porsche Cayenne, the Urus is quite versatile, ready to put that power output to work at high speed and handle a variety of challenging terrains, something rarely said of a Lamborghini.
It’s that versatility that’s made the Urus the success that it is, but what would the hybrid version bring? Increased range for one. Even if you drive it very un-Lambo-like, the thirsty Urus manages to scratch together 14-19 mpg, so the plug-in version would help reduce visits to the pump. Having an electric motor on hand would also give the Lamborghini some extra punch, as exemplified by the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid. The Porsche is fitted with the same V8 as the Urus so it’s a good indicator of what’s to come for the upcoming Urus. In the Porsche, the hybrid system adds around 130 extra horses into the mix as well as a bucketload of torque, so we can only imagine how this would spice up an already scorching Urus Performante.
It won’t be long at all until Lamborghini’s lineup will be fully electrified. The Aventador-replacing Revuelto hybrid V12 supercar is already selling out, too, leading the way for the hybrid Huracán successor and now this hybrid Urus. It’s also worth noting that this isn’t even the Urus’s final form: in 2029, the V8 will be gone altogether and the super-popular performance SUV will be an all-electric monster.
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