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Lambo Urus to stay true to concept, but almost didn't happen

Lamborghini has been making noise about adding a third model line for years, and it's finally going to happen now that the Urus concept has been approved for production. It'll likely be a while yet before all the details are sorted out and revealed to the public, but while visiting the factory in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Autoblog was able to glean some intriguing details about the Italian automaker's forthcoming crossover and its path it is taking from concept to production. "It's good to have heritage, but the LM002 is not the reference or the blueprint." - Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann We first saw the Urus concept back in 2012, and Lamborghini has been lobbying its parent company Volkswagen ever since for the go-ahead to put it into production. Now three years later, it finally has the green light. A company representative told Autoblog the production version looks "very" close to the concept. (No ground-up redesign here, then, like sister-brand Bentley did with its inaugural crossover project.) Speaking with a small group of journalists in Sant'Agata, the company's chief executive Stephan Winkelmann confirmed that "the SUV could be the [company's] first car with a turbo, and it could be the first car with a plug-in, if we have the opportunity to have more than one engine." The Urus (or however it's ultimately labeled for production) will also be decidedly geared towards on-road performance – unlike the Rambo Lambo on display in the museum next door. "It's good to have heritage," said Winkelmann, "but the LM002 is not the reference or the blueprint" for the new model. As to the question of why it has taken three years to get approval, and why it will take another three to put it into production, Winkelmann was frank: "Basically if you look at our numbers, we are a company which is growing at a fast pace, but we are very small," said the affable executive. "We had to find a way to almost double our efforts, because it's not the exchange of a model line, with the Gallardo and Huracan, it's adding a model line. And not out of 20 to come to 21 models, but from two to three is a major effort, and you have to have a rock-solid business case." "Putting 500 more people inside a company which is now at 1,200, you can imagine what it means. Doubling almost the size of the area here where we are sitting today. Investing hundreds and hundreds of millions.

'SNL' car thief sketch shows saving the manuals can save your car

It's not news that the number of cars available with a manual transmission has dwindled, and a big reason for that is people just aren't learning how to drive them. Still, it's a worthwhile skill to pick up. Our number one reason would be because it's fun, but you never know when you might to need to do it in a pinch. Perhaps you'll have to drive a friend's old stick-shift car in an emergency, or maybe it's just a really cool car and they're giving you the chance to try it out. Or in the case of this Saturday Night Live sketch, maybe you're trying to steal a vintage Lamborghini. Yes, in the sketch titled "Car Heist," the stereotypical, "Gone in 60 Seconds"-style Hollywood break-in goes terribly awry when the wheelman is completely confounded by the three pedals and gated shifter of the target Lamborghini Diablo. And with two minutes to leave before the doors close again, his backer's attempts to teach him over the radio go about as well as you could expect, as he has to get his head around using both feet and having to learn what a clutch is. It's a situation that anyone that's learned to use a manual or has helped teach others to will find fun. I had an internship with Hagerty Insurance several years ago, and I helped with their program teaching young drivers how to drive stick with vintage and enthusiast cars. If I only had two minutes to teach someone to drive, and had to do it over the phone, I think things would've gone about as well. So give it a watch and have a little laugh. And then, if you haven't learned yet, find someone to teach you or at least watch the video below. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Humor TV/Movies Lamborghini manual transmissions saturday night live

Lamborghini will introduce a mysterious new model tomorrow

As the global automotive industry gradually emerges from months of COVID-19-related lockdowns, carmakers are beginning to unveil the models they should have shown us at the auto shows that were canceled during the first half of 2020. Lamborghini published a close-up of a mysterious new model on its official Twitter page, and it announced plans to unveil the car on its various social media channels on July 8 — that is, tomorrow.  "The future is here, and it is unlike anything the world may have seen before," the company wrote. While that's not a lot to start with, the winglet shown in the preview image looks suspiciously like the ones fitted to the limited-edition Sian FKP 37 introduced at the 2019 Frankfurt auto show. It stood out as Lamborghini's first production-bound hybrid model, and the V12-electric system's 819-horsepower output made it the firm's most powerful car. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Lamborghini can take the Sian in a number of directions. It could make the coupe lighter and more track-focused, for example. Alternatively, unverified rumors claim a convertible model is around the corner. Or, considering stylists put a huge emphasis on customization, it could merely show us the first customer-bound example. Although it's less than a year old, the Sian has already spawned several surprising derivatives, including a 3,696-piece Lego Technic kit that's over 23 inches long, and a 53,000-pound twin-engined yacht with 4,000 horsepower. Intrigued? So are we. Lamborghini will stream the event live on its official website and on its social media channels starting on July 8, 2020, at 6 p.m. in Bologna, which is 12 p.m. in New York City and 9 a.m. in Los Angeles. Regardless of what we'll discover, there is a high chance it will be sold out by the time it's unveiled.  Green Lamborghini Convertible Coupe Future Vehicles Hybrid