The Italian supercar is like an established language that many enthusiasts hold dearly to their hearts for its expressive power. Despite the necessity of downsizing and forced induction, Lamborghini has been consistently committing itself to the cause of naturally aspirated V12 engines, more so since the launch of the Aventador in 2011.

That said, by the end of this year, the production of the highly-anticipated Lamborghini Urus - the first Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) in its portfolio - will begin, sporting a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine underneath its bonnet.

We share a casual conversation with Lamborghini's CEO himself, Stefano Domenicali (SD), Commercial Director, Fredrico Foschini (FF), as well as General Manager, Andrea Baldi (AB), who break it down for us.


SGCM: Being under the direction of someone who came from the Ferrari Formula One Team, would you rather have Lamborghini cars developed more out of motorsport activities or the other way round?

FF: Since 2009 we started our motorsports activities and this gives us a lot of feedback from the technicians and engineers about the races. In fact, the development of the Lamborghini Performante is also partly connected to this because we made use of our races to improve the aerodynamics of the car. Thus, there are no big changes with the way we make our cars but for sure we are getting a lot of information from motorsports.

SGCM: What's next after the Huracan Performante and the Aventador S? Where and how can you push your cars from where they are now?

AB: The cars are already answering by themselves. The direction is not just increasing the power and having a big engine. At the end of the day if you just measure the acceleration or horsepower, you will miss out what we're really all about, which is fun-to-drive. The combination of new technologies is what we want to improve and this is where we will always keep pushing. This will give us a wholesome package, which includes fun-to-drive characteristics.

SGCM: About the Urus - why do you think it's suitable for the brand?

FF: This was a decision we made years ago. SUV was a segment that was growing very fast and we were very confident that we could create an SUV without losing our Lamborghini DNA. The growth of the SUV segment will also allow us to broaden our customer base and maximise our potential.


SGCM: If you're doing a high-performance SUV, you would certainly like to sell them. However, is there a growth ceiling for exclusivity?

AB: We have always regretted having this limited sales for our Aventador but for the Urus we will practice some flexbility. We want to manage the expectation of our customers and we do not want to fill the market with our cars.

Last year we sold 3,457 cars globally, with 28 percent of this figure mainly in Asia Pacific. With the Lamborghini Urus, we are confident we will double that sales to around 7,000 units worldwide. But that said, this is still a very small number compared to other carmakers.

SGCM: There doesn't seem to be any strong interest in autonomous or hybrid technology except for the Asterion. Are you having any plans for this with the Urus?

AB: Sure. Unlike our current lineup, one of the characteristics with the Urus is the space that we have, which will allow us to place a battery pack somewhere. In an SUV, it will be easier to find a right compromise between weight and driveability.

SGCM: As an SUV, will the Urus be able to go off-road?

FF: Yes, With its turbocharged engine, you'll be able to go off-road with the Urus.


SGCM: Will the Aventador ever see a turbocharged engine?

DS: No, the V12 natural aspirated engine is our halo and our icon. We would like to preserve our performance with that. We need to be different and unique. We believe what we produce now will continue to have a lot of potential in the future, even more so when we implement new technologies into them.

SGCM: If you want to be different and unique, then why not implement a naturally aspirated engine for the Urus?

DS: Simply because the Urus is a different kind of car and product altogether. We can guarantee, even with this new turbocharged engine, there will be a sense of uniqueness that will be completely different from the rest of the SUVs in the segment. It will look super cool with a super progressive engine and have a great dynamic performance. The car will be launched end of this year in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy, and the Asian markets will be seeing it at the end of 2018.