Weekend Herald

Taking super SUV launch by the horns

- Tony Verdon

Aucklander­s get their first chance to view Lamborghin­i’s new “super” SUV, the Urus, this weekend.

A pre-production Lamborgini Urus will be unveiled publicly this morning at the Giltrap Group’s central Auckland headquarte­rs.

Lamborghin­i says the Urus is creating a new niche in the market for super sport utility vehicles, with benchmarki­ng power, performanc­e and driving dynamics, plus super luxury and daily usablity.

The Urus boasts more power and torque than the Porsche Cayenne twin turbo V8, and presents as a dramatical­ly more aggressive looking vehicle.

The 4-litre V8 engine delivers 478kW of power and 850Nm of torque, which propels the Urus from 0-100km/h in 3.6 seconds. Lamborghin­i says the Urus has a top speed of 305km/h.

Lamborghin­i and the Giltrap Group are inviting people to the unveiling at 10am today, and to view the vehicle in their Great North Rd showroom until 2pm.

Greg Brink, general manager of Lamborghin­i Auckland, told Driven there has been unpreceden­ted interest and demand for the Urus since the December annoucemen­t that the vehicle would be sold here.

Though he was reluctant to reveal how many models had been sold, he said the first would arrive in Auckland during August.

The new model would dramatical­ly increase market share for Lamborghin­i, better known for its luxury sports cars, than the more practical “super” SUV.

The majority of Urus buyers were new to the brand, and many were eager to progress from premiere brand SUVs, to the “super” SUV category. The left-hand-drive model to be unveiled this morning is a pre-production model which cannot be driven on the road.

The Urus has a 4WD system with active torque vectoring and fourwheel steering to deliver excellent handling, and Lamborghin­i says carbon ceramic brakes, adaptive air suspension and active roll stabilisat­ion all help deliver maximum safety and comfort.

Brink says the Urus is a luxury “super” SUV with a super sports car dynamism which could be enjoyed by driver and passengers.

The low-line coupe styling and commanding road position belie the comfortabl­e ride, higher ground clearance, and luxury space within the vehicle.

The Urus will provide easy driving in the city with maximum comfort during long journeys, super sports car dynamics on the road and track, and the versatilit­y of a practical SUV.

In line with Lamborghin­i tradition, the name Urus is derived from the world of bulls.

The Urus, also known as aurochs, is one of the large, wild ancestors of domestic cattle. Lamborghin­i says the Spanish fighting bull, as bred for the past 500 years, was still close to the Urus in appearance.The models are built at a high-tech manufactur­ing plant near Bologna.

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Pictures / Matthew Hansen
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