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Dubai police welcome Lamborghini Aventador cop car

There is a long history of law enforcement adding supercars to their police cruiser fleets. The latest comes from a likely place, Dubai, where one-upping the rest of the world in conspicuous consumption has become a national point of pride.
The Dubai police force announced yesterday that they've added a Lamborghini Aventador to their fleet, the Italian supercar capping a broader upgrade to their selection of cruisers that also reportedly includes new examples of the Chevy Camaro.
The 700-horsepower Aventador has a starting price in the US of nearly $400,000 and can reach speeds up to 217 miles per hour. Reports, however, say that the Dubai police force won't be using the car's 0-60 performance of 3.9 seconds to catch any crooks, but rather that the supercar will be used in tourist areas to impress foreign travelers.

The rationale behind Lamborghini's Urus

If you've been following developments in Sant'Agata Bolognese lately, you'll know that the world's most unabashed supercar producer is adding an SUV. Code-named "Urus," it will join the brand's existing two-model (Aventador/Huracan) lineup. It's a bold move for a company with a reputation built on iconic two-seaters including the Miura, Countach, and Diablo, and by its CEO's own admission the decision "will radically change Lamborghini." Why risk the company's exclusive, extroverted image on a vehicle associated with mundane tasks and parents who can't bear the thought of driving a minivan? Two reasons, says CEO Stephan Winkelmann. "The SUV Segment is still fast growing worldwide," he notes. Indeed, global demand for SUVs is up 88 percent since 2008, making utility vehicles the fastest-growing segment around the world, according to IHS Automotive. Utilities now comprise 19 percent of the global vehicle market. In addition, "sales can be equally distributed over our three major regions...the Americas (the US is Lambo's top market), EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa), and Asia Pacific." Lamborghini expects Urus to double sales from its current 2,500 cars per year to nearly 5,000. Adding a third model line "supports more consistent volumes and competitiveness of the company and our dealers," he continues. Further, Winkelmann maintains that an SUV fits the DNA of Lamborghini. "Our brand has a history of many types of cars such as GTs, super sports cars, and with the LM002 from 1986 to 1992, even an SUV. We learned together with our designers and product people that the SUV represented this opportunity the best." Structural implications include an expansion of the diminutive company's roughly 1,200-employee workforce by 50 percent, or 500 new hires, and the construction of a new facility near its headquarters to build the Urus. Building the new Lamborghini in Bologna is key to differentiating Urus from the other Volkswagen Group premium SUVs (Bentley Bentayga; Porsche Cayenne; Audi Q7 and Q8; and Volkswagen Touareg) that will share the same platform, and Winkelmann put great effort into persuading VW the move made economic sense. "We worked many months building the business case for approval because we are convinced the SUV will be a success and the best place to build it is in Sant'Agata Bolognese," Winkelmann stresses. "We are not simply adding another line in an existing building. Rather, we are talking about greenfield construction.

Lamborghini sets sales record of more than 10,000 vehicles

MILAN — Italian luxury sports carmaker Lamborghini sold over 10,000 vehicles last year for the first time, its Chairman and Chief Executive Stephan Winkelmann said on Tuesday. "I am so incredibly proud to announce that we have reached another historic milestone," he said on Linkedin. Supported by the success of its Urus SUV, which now costs over 230,000 euros ($250,000), Lamborghini has in recent years expanded its output, relying on solid demand from wealthy car lovers. The carmaker, a subsidiary of Germany's Volkswagen, delivered a total of 10,112 sports cars and SUVs last year, up from over 9,200 vehicles in 2022, a slide attached to Winkelmann's post showed. Rival Ferrari, which will release 2023 data later this year, including those on car sales, shipped more than 13,200 cars in 2022. Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) was the region that saw the biggest increase in deliveries for Lamborghini last year, with a 14% rise to nearly 4,000 vehicles, the slide showed. Sales in the America region rose 9% to 3,465, while they grew 4% in the Asia Pacific region to 2,660. Lamborghini's range also includes two super-sports cars, the Huracan 10-cylinder and the Revuelto 12-cylinder, its first plug-in hybrid model, which was presented last year. The line-up is set to become all hybrid in the course of 2024, with the new Urus and a new car replacing the Huracan. Related video: Lamborghini