BY NEIL DOWLING | 21st Nov 2018
ALI Baba may have uttered “open sesame” to access the cave of riches in mythology but in reality, the words to access instant wealth for car-makers are Sport Utility Vehicle.
What started as a soft-roader niche for wannabe explorers quickly turned into Ali Baba’s cave and unexpectedly drew disciples from prestige manufacturers (BMW, Mercedes-Benz et al), then luxury brands (Bentley and Rolls-Royce) and then car-makers that had previously exclusively provided high-end sportscars. Like Porsche – Cayenne and Macan – and now Lamborghini with its Super Sports Utility Vehicle, the Urus.
Lamborghini invented the SSUV tag to define the Urus as a sportscar that could go almost anywhere and, indeed, to places that even their owners would not consider. It is a tag used specifically to raise the profile of the new Lamborghini SUV – the second all-road production vehicle from the Italian brand since the LM series of the 1980s and 1990s – beyond that of its rivals.
The Urus uses components from family members to create its hybrid of the family wagon and sports coupe and, with it, also introducing turbocharging to Lamborghini for the first time.
Australia has a relatively small market but it remains important. Sales have started and dealers already report that most buyers are first-time Lamborghini owners. So though it originally seemed improbable that a revered sportscar-maker such as Lamborghini could find glory and profit in moving to SUVs, it now appears that the move is already paying dividends.