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Lamborghini Urus to get twin-turbo V8

The Lamborghini Urus won't use one of the Italian supercar brand's familiar V10 or V12 engines upon its arrival around 2018, but will instead pack a Lambo-exclusive twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8. Company boss Stephan Winkelmann and research chief Maurizio Reggiani confirmed the powerplant selection to Autocar, which verified earlier rumors. The choice of turbocharging rather than the brand's usual naturally aspirated mills comes returns lower carbon dioxide emissions and a greater breadth of torque from the powerband. Even if Urus owners never take the CUV off-road, Lamborghini's engineers want it to be possible. They feel that significant grunt at low revs is necessary for the vehicle to excel in the dirt, and the company only plans to offer the Urus with all-wheel drive. Winkelmann also promises the model to live up to the automaker's huge performance reputation. "This engine is not used by anybody else, only for Lamborghini. To be the most powerful in the class it must have something that is dedicated to our brand," he said to Autocar. For buyers looking for even more exclusivity from their Lamborghini crossover, the company could offer multiple variations of the Urus after the initial launch. Winkelmann re-confirmed to Autocar that both a plug-in hybrid version and high-performance Superveloce are under consideration; there also could be a luxury-focused edition. The company hasn't signed off on any of these yet, though. Lamborghini will build the Urus in a new factory near its headquarters in Sant'Agata Bolognese, and the brand will hope to deliver around 3,000 of them annually. Expect the final model to look like an evolved version of the earlier concept. Autocar claims prices for the UK market similar to the Aventador, which starts at around $400,000 in the US. Related Video:

Lamborghini CEO says Urus brings lots of new customers from Russia and India

The new Lamborghini Urus might turn out to be a golden goose for Lamborghini. The twin-turbo V8 SUV is finding new customers for the Italian supercar manufacturer, and in an interview with CNBC, Lamborghini's CEO Stefano Domenicali says the reception for the $200,000 vehicle has been unexpectedly "fantastic." The outlook for Lamborghini's 2018 sales is projected at 5,000 cars, and the Urus could account for over a thousand of those. By 2020, Lamborghini would be building some 8,000 cars per year, and over a half of those would be Urus sales. Domenicali says that would be a point where Lamborghini would restrict its growth, as does rival Ferrari, to keep its supercar brand exclusive. The head of Lamborghini's Asia Pacific sales, Andrea Baldi also says the manufacturer will "always make sure" that demand for its cars is higher than the supply. If making SUVs turns out to be a success for Lamborghini, the key might be hidden in the nameplate of the Urus. It's indeed Russia that looks to be a fertile land for Urus sales, since it's a country with both demanding roads and demanding customers. Domenicali says Russian roads have made it hard to sell traditional Lamborghini products, but the SUV should find a strong customer base there. India is another significant new market for the Urus, for similar reasons. And as for the influx of new Lamborghini customers: a growing part of them are cryptocurrency investors. It looks like bitcoin bros will only accept a Lamborghini as the token of their newfound success. "These are young people that want to become very rich with a high-risk investment," said Domenicali. "And our customers are young as well, and very aspirational. They are not shy. So I think there is a connection." Related Video: News Source: CNBCImage Credit: AOL/Drew Phillips Lamborghini Crossover SUV Luxury Performance stefano domenicali

Lamborghini set an all-time sales record in 2019

Growing demand for the Urus helped Lamborghini set an all-time sales record in 2019. The company delivered 8,205 units, a significant 43% increase compared to 2018, and well over half of its sales came from its only SUV. Annual sales in the Asia-Pacific region grew by 66% to 2,162 units, but the United States remains the company's largest market by a long shot. This partially explains why the Urus (pictured) raced ahead the Aventador S and the Huracan Evo to become Lamborghini's best-selling model by a long shot. The assembly line at Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy, rolled off 4,962 examples of the SUV in 2019, followed by 2,139 units of the Huracan Evo, which Lamborghini manufactures in a separate building at the same facility. The V12-powered Aventador S also made there logged 1,104 sales, an impressive figure considering it's Lamborghini's oldest and most expensive model. While Lamborghini is celebrating a record year, and its ninth-consecutive year of growth, it previously announced it plans to cap production at 8,000 units in 2020 in order to maintain a degree of exclusivity. "We must not go on growing forever," company boss Stefano Domenicali warned in 2019. It could ultimately reach the 10,000-car threshold, but only after it adds a fourth series-produced model to its range to balance it out. There's no word yet on what form the fourth car will take, though unverified rumors point to an electrified 2+2 tourer. Lamborghini nonetheless entered 2020 on a positive note. It's in the process of developing a hybrid variant of the Urus, it's putting the final touches on the track-bound ST-X variant, and it's shaping the Aventador's successor. It remains confident in its overall outlook, it affirmed in a statement accompanying its 2019 result. Enthusiasts devote a considerable amount of energy to bashing high-riding models made by luxury brands, but sales figures prove entering the SUV segment makes a lot of sense from a business standpoint. In 2019, Porsche delivered 92,055 examples of the Cayenne (a 29% increase over 2018) and its bestselling model was the smaller Macan, which found 99,944 buyers. Rolls-Royce thanked the Cullinan for the 25% jump in sales it recorded in 2019 (up to 5,152 units), while Bentley credited the Bentayga for a 5% increase to 11,006 cars. It's no wonder Aston Martin allegedly ditched the RapidE to focus on the DBX, and Ferrari wants a piece of the pie. Related Video: