We live in an era when a new SUV leaps into the market at least once a month. What makes the 2019 Lamborghini Urus special, then? To find out, and to meet some of the men and women who brought it to life, we ventured deep into the company’s historic headquarters in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy.
THE FOUR-DOOR, ALL-TERRAIN SUPERCAR
Very few Lamborghini owners drive their car daily, and a majority own at least one luxury SUV.
“The Urus is a super-SUV because it’s a super-sports car in a different configuration,” promised company boss Stefano Domenicali with an insuppressible tinge of pride. He added the company decided to re-enter the SUV segment only after carefully listening to its customers.
Very few Lamborghini owners drive their car daily, and an overwhelming majority of them own at least one luxury SUV, like the Bentley Bentayga, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, or the Land Rover Range Rover. Most replied they’d buy a Lamborghini SUV in a heartbeat if they could. Why wouldn’t the company capitalize on that demand?
SUV fever isn’t new. The Urus project began five years ago, shortly before Lamborghini presented the eponymous concept car at the 2012 edition of the Beijing Auto Show. It was the brainchild of former company CEO Stephen Winkelmann, the bright executive who deserves much of the credit for turning the brand around after it became one of Audi’s crown jewels. Winkelmann – who now leads Bugatti – also played a key role in keeping Urus production in Italy rather than sending it abroad, likely to Bratislava, Slovakia, where sister company Porsche makes the Cayenne.
A FINISHING TOUCH
Men and women will play a central role in Lamborghini production in the foreseeable future. You wouldn’t believe the amount of attention to detail that goes into building any model deemed worthy of the Raging Bull emblem. Even biology gets factored into the production process, surprisingly.
The company told us it sources leather from cows native to either northern Europe or the Italian Alps because there are fewer mosquitos in those regions, which means fewer bites and, ultimately, fewer imperfections in the leather. Every square inch of the material goes through a rigorous screening process, and leather that’s damaged in any way ends up recycled.
Workers put every Urus through its paces before giving it permission to leave the factory. The model is tested on a bench at about 85 mph to ensure the V8 engine, the eight-speed automatic transmission, and the colossal brakes perform as they should. If everything checks out, and it normally does, the Urus embarks on a real-world test on the scenic roads that surround the factory. This is how Lamborghini tests every single car it builds since its inception in 1963.
After the short road trip, the Urus is ready to enter the final phase of the production process.
Every Lamborghini model goes through a brand-new finishing department.
Every Lamborghini model goes through a brand-new finishing department, where highly-trained workers examine each car from all angles to single out the scratches and other blemishes that sometimes occur during the production process or testing. For example, at one workstation, employees shoot water at specific areas of the car to ensure moisture doesn’t infiltrate the cabin. Any imperfection found gets fixed promptly.
It’s a huge investment in terms of money, time, and personnel, but it’s necessary to ensure Lamborghini maintains the high level of quality it’s known for globally as it grows. If everything goes according to plan, the company will build and sell at least 7,000 cars in 2019. It’s not daunting; it’s invigorating. The excitement behind the factory’s walls is palpable.
“This is the point of no return. It’s a new beginning for us,” Domenicali noted cautiously. “In terms of growth, in terms of dimension, in terms of our brand’s presence in this sector of the automotive industry. It’s also a great challenge,” he added.