2019 Lamborghini Urus UK

2019 Lamborghini Urus UK premiere Report from the UK premiere in London. We were there for Lamborghini’s ‘super SUV’ launch in the UK. Story: Phil Ward.

The Lamborghini Urus, the first “Super SUV” and the third model in Lamborghini’s line-up, made its UK debut in London in January 2018. As the third-largest market for Lamborghini worldwide, UK forecasts predict a doubling of sales after the Urus arrives, reflecting worldwide expectations. Deliveries commence in summer this year, when the Urus joins the Aventador and Huracán model ranges.

Lamborghini continues to produce cars that offer an interesting alternative to traditional supercar brand leaders Ferrari. The combination of German engineering and Italian flair continues to impress, while on face value these combinations seem to be stereotypes, the fact is that Lamborghini has made impressive progress since Audi became involved. You can even order your Lamborghini in red!

Lamborghini has been clever with its model line-up, in particular the Huracán with its naturally aspirated V10 power unit. While Ferrari went down the turbo route with its 488, the Huracán has gained points in the sound stakes – for now at least.

The Italians have been slow to get on the lucrative high performance SUV bandwagon. The Maserati Levante and Alfa Stelvio Quadrifoglio are recent arrivals but the ‘super’ SUV slot has remained vacant. Enter the Lamborghini Urus. With Ferrari adamant that it will not produce its own SUV, Lamborghini is currently in an unopposed position. Many argue that it would be inappropriate for Ferrari’s heritage to be ‘tainted’ by an SUV, but while Ferrari wrestles with its ethics, Lamborghini will be selling lots of SUVs, if the audience response at the London Urus launch is anything to go by.

The South West London launch was attended by more than 500 invited guests, which included press, dealers and customers. The occasion had sufficient gravitas to attract notable personalities such as former F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone. Lamborghini Chairman and CEO Stefano Domenicali gave a presentation. He succeeded Stephan Winkelmann as CEO in 2016, after a career at Ferrari that began back in 1991. He has been Ferrari F1 team principal and brings a wealth of engineering and management experience to Lamborghini.

Domenicali said: “The UK is an extremely important market for Lamborghini, which has a strong motoring heritage and a particular enthusiasm and empathy with performance cars. The Lamborghini super sports DNA of design, performance, driving dynamics and driving emotion is clear within the Lamborghini Urus, which is also as much a luxury SUV as the most powerful. An SUV for the city and the open road, the Lamborghini Urus opens the door to new possibilities for both our customers and our brand, and we are proud to formally present it to one of our most significant markets.”