2019 Lamborghini Urus Sport Utility 4d on 2040-cars

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2019 Lamborghini Urus Track Drive Review | The banshee from Sant'Agata

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — The Lamborghini Urus is a strange beast. It's generally shaped like a modern Lamborghini, a thick wedge with knife-edged angles, but its four-door form brings a practicality that no previous Lamborghini could match. Not even the iconic LM002, a thinly veneered military vehicle more similar to the classic Steyr-Daimler-Puch Gelandewagen than the Urus, which is a crossover and fundamentally meant to appeal to a much broader audience. We flew to California at the height of snowbird season to drive this $200,000 SUV. We wanted to focus on the wonderful weather and Urus' abilities on the track rather than debating whether or not it truly is a product of Sant'Agata Bolognese. Models like this attract new customers to the brand, and the company expects the Urus to double sales. To succeed, it needs to have the sex appeal and performance to back up the Lamborghini name, not necessarily be a direct link to the Huracan or Avendator. There's a Volkswagen Group feel to the whole design, discernable even under the camouflage of hexagonal shapes. That's no surprise, as the Urus rides on the same platform as the Audi Q8, Bentley Bentayga and Porsche Cayenne. The hardpoints can't change, and the sharp lines remind you more than a little of the Q8. And the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8's exhaust note betrays the Urus' German roots, too. The engine – again shared with other VW products – sounds beefy and mean, but doesn't sing quite the same sweet tune you expect from an Italian performance car, especially when your foot is nailed to the floor. The Urus' interior, too, has a distinct Audi aura. The leather is fantastic, especially in saddle brown like our main test vehicle, but the digital instrument cluster is lifted straight from Audi, as are the steering wheel, window and lock switches, infotainment system and more. It's mostly quality stuff, but it feels like pieces from a parts-bin when some of the touch points on a $200,000 SUV are the same as a $35,000 sedan. It's also a problem that the Porsche Cayenne and Bentley Bentayga don't have. The things Porsche and Bentley could change — gauges, switches, lock buttons and more — they did change. Those two feel like more distinct products and less like a different wrapper on the same candy bar. It feels like Lamborghini skimped on some of the details. Look, Audi makes great stuff, but it makes the Urus feel less special. But on the track, you move the Urus around like you're swinging a sledgehammer.

Audi CEO Rupert Stadler: Ducati is not for sale

"Ducati is not for sale." Those words, attributed to Audi CEO Rupert Stadler, are about as clear and definitive as can be, and they reiterate a previous statement about the potential sale of the premium Italian motorcycle brand that was made in March of this year. "[Ducati and Lamborghini] belong to Audi and, together with us, have an excellent future," said Stadler. Thing is, Audi, as well-off and established as it may be, still falls under the Volkswagen umbrella. And, as you're surely aware, things haven't exactly been smooth sailing for the VW Group over the last several months. The German automaker has squirreled away billions of dollars in anticipation of the legal fallout that's sure to come from the falsification of vehicle emissions data, and that's going to leave the company strapped for cash. All of that bad news led to speculation that VW could sell off some of its non-core businesses. What of the future of the Scania and Man heavy truck brands? Those don't currently appear to be on the auction block, either. VW's continued involvement in the HD truck segment was announced as part of the brand's TOGETHER - Strategy 2025 plan, in which Volkswagen outlined plans to push further into vehicle electrification and vehicle autonomy. Related Video: News Source: Asphalt & RubberImage Credit: Malte Christians/AFP/Getty Earnings/Financials Audi Lamborghini Volkswagen Motorcycle Performance Ducati Scania

Lamborghini Aventador SV Roadster spied testing undisguised

Lamborghini typically does more versions of its V10 models than it does with its V12s. Just look at how many model variants the Gallardo spun off over its many years of production, compared to the few the Murcielago did. But with both now retired, and the Aventador on the market longer than the Huracan, it's the larger of the two that's beefing up the Raging Bull's product portfolio. We're looking at and referring to the upcoming Aventador SV Roadster. Lambo has already confirmed that the Superveloce Roadster was in the works, and we even saw a heavily camouflaged prototype undergoing testing near the Arctic Circle. But this time it's completely undisguised, without a shred of camouflage to keep it from our prying eyes. It isn't hard to guess at the technical details here, since it combines the best attributes of two existing versions: namely the LP 700-4 Roadster and the LP 750-4 Superveloce. So look for a 6.5-liter V12 channeling 740 horsepower to all four wheels through the company's proprietary seven-speed ISR transmission, just like the SV coupe. It'll be a bit heavier with its removable carbon-fiber roof panel and the requisite extra bracing, but it's doubtful the slight weight penalty will actually translate to any substantial drop in performance. Noticeably absent, however, is the big rear wing that adorns the back of the SV coupe. We'll have to hold tight to find out if the production version will get the spoiler or not, and there's little precedent to go by here since Lambo has never really offered a convertible Superveloce before. With the wing or without, the Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce Roadster will likely debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show come September, with production already confirmed to be limited to 500 units – or 100 less than the existing coupe that's already sold out.