Lamborghini eyes a pinch of Cayenne prestige
The success of the Porsche Cayenne has spurred a succession of imitators. Not imitators in terms of looks, but in the way other luxury marques have produced sport utility vehicles.
The latest to offer a high-end interpretation of a ute is Lamborghini with its stunning Urus concept, unveiled last week at the Beijing Auto Show.
The carbon-fibre beast, named for an extinct Spanish bull, will be powered by a 600-horse power plant — Lambo offers no more details.
The high-performance brand must hope the four-seater — yes, that’s just 4 — will emulate Porsche in sales and not sell as few as its last foray into the SUV market. In 1986 it launched the LM002 — a Hummer-like monster — with a 450-horsepower engine under the hood, capable of hitting a top speed of 210 km/h. It limped along until 1992, selling only 300 units. (See page C16 for Honda concepts unveiled at the China show). Champagne extra
On the same theme, Bentley offered a peek at its EXP 9 F sports-ute. The revered Brit manufacturer describes it as a new take on a Grand Touring Bentley“that feels equally at home at an opera gala performance, on the sand dunes and the overtaking lane of the autobahn.”
The EXP 9 F at the show features the Bentley 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12 gas engine, promising 600 horses, just like the Lambo. The prestige manufacturer is also considering the inclusion the recently launched 500hp, 4.0-litre V8 and a V6 plugin hybrid as options for production models.
The EXP 9 F seating is 4+1, with a rear armrest sitting between the two electrically operated‘ captain’s chairs’. A sliding drawer between the seats reveals a cooled compartment for champagne and glasses. Well, obviously it would have that feature. Pricey goddess
The ugly duckling award should go to Eterniti Motors, the London-based boutique luxury carmaker.
It unveiled the engineering prototype of its first car, which it calls Artemis and claims it to be the first Super-suv. Methinks Lambo and Bentley might argue with that boast, but it will be the first of three cars featured here to make it to market with production scheduled for this summer.
The car has a limousine-like rear cabin with loads of legroom, twin reclining rear seats with heating and cooling, ipad-ready holders and a drinks chiller. Eterniti says the car will satisfy a specific need, particularly in Asian markets, for a car suitable for both being chauffeured in and driving for pleasure and is thus the ultimate crossover!
Power comes from a 4.8-litre twinturbo V8 engine again producing more than 600 horsepower and capable of accelerating from zero to-100 klicks in 4.5 secs with a top speed of more than 290 km/h.
The price tag on the Artemis is in excess of $330,000.