Lamborghini's Badass Urus Crossover SUV Will Be Its First Plug-in Hybrid

The first production hybrid Lamborghini will be available soon, though do not expect it to be a supercar model in the vein of a Huracán or Aventador. Lamborghini's first hybrid vehicle will be the Urus, an athletic SUV that it first announced in concept form four years ago at the Beijing Motor Show. It will be the only hybrid Lamborghini carries, though it will also carry a non-hybrid model, a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 Urus.

It has been a long time since Lamborghini released an SUV. The last one was the LM002, which it produced from 1986 to 1993. Lamborghini's hybrid Urus SUV is likely to be shown off next year at various auto shows before made available to purchase sometime in 2018.

Though the Urus is not a low profile supercar like the Asterion, Lamborghini R&D chief Maurizio Reggiani says the design is still "pure Lamborghini." He told Autocar that the Urus has "evolved considerably since the concept" and that the "finished car is much better inside and out." He also indicated that turbocharging will be "completely mandatory" because of the torque that is required for an SUV.

As for fans who might be worried that Lamborghini will start building hybrid supercars to go along with its SUV, that is a concern they need not have.

"A supersports car is completely different, you need the responsiveness of the engine, to feel the spark of every cylinder. We will keep normally aspirated engines for our other models. They are still the best cholce," Reggiani said.

While Lamborghini is still working on the final design and has not shared any recent specifications, the original concept indicated a lightweight design with output of around 440 kW and 600 HP underneath the hood. That would be a considerable jump from the 450 HP of the LM002, which it a top speed of 210 km/h (around 130 MPH).