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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.

Performance doesn't matter anymore, it's all about the feel

We've just had a week of supercars and high-end EVs revealed. Many of them boast outrageous performance specs. There were multiple vehicles with horsepower in the four-figure range, and not just sports cars, but SUVs with 0-60 mph times under 3.5 seconds. And it's not just a rarified set of supercar builders, comparatively small tuners are also building this stuff. Going fast is easy nowadays and getting easier. So what will distinguish the greats from the wannabes? It's all about how a car feels. This may seem obvious. "Of course it matters that a car should have good steering feel and a playful chassis!" you say. "Why are you being paid for this stuff?" But a lot of automakers have missed the memo. This past week I spent some time in a BMW M4 Competition convertible, and it's a perfect example of prioritizing performance over experience. It boggles my mind how a company can create such dead and disconnected steering; the weight never changes, there's no feel whatsoever. The chassis is inflappable, but to a fault, because it doesn't feel like anything you're doing is difficult or exciting. The car is astoundingly fast and capable, but it feels less like driving a car and more like tapping in a heading on the Enterprise-D. I also happened to drive something of comparable performance that was much more enjoyable: a Mercedes-AMG GT. It was a basic model with the Stealth Edition blackout package, and even though it had a twin-turbo V8 instead of a six-cylinder, it only made 20 more horsepower. The power wasn't the big differentiator, it was (say it with me) the feel. While not the best example, the steering builds resistance as you dial in lock, giving you a better idea of what's happening up front. Pulses and vibrations come back to you as you move over bumpy pavement in corners. The chassis isn't quite as buttoned down, either, providing a little bit of body roll that tells you you're pushing it. It's also easier to feel when the car is wanting to understeer or oversteer, and how your throttle and steering inputs are affecting it. The whole thing is much more involving, exciting and fun. 2021 Mercedes-AMG GT Stealth Edition View 8 Photos That's also to say nothing of the Merc's sounds. That V8 is maybe not the best sounding engine, but its urgent churn through the opened-up exhaust gets your heart racing. It also seems like it's vibrating the whole cabin, so you feel it as much as you hear it.

Autoblog's exclusive Lamborghini Aventador SV Roadster photo shoot

Sometimes it just takes a few little tweaks to transform something from good to great, and that's definitely what Lamborghini's stylists manage to do with the Aventador LP750-4 SuperVeloce Roadster. While there's no question that the Aventador SV coupe is an amazing machine, slicking off the roof for the newest version is the perfect bit of tailoring to create something truly bonkers. Why are we talking about it again? Following the roadster's debut in Monterey, we arranged a date with the car and our photographer extraordinaire, Drew Phillips. The result is the absolutely magnificent gallery of photos you see above, that you're definitely going to want to view in high resolution. The engineers at Lamborghini HQ in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy, had a pretty easy job when the time came to the Aventador SV droptop because it carries over all the special parts from the coupe. Still, buyers have no reason to be disappointed with the 6.5-liter V12 making 740 horsepower (750 in metric ponies) and offering a screaming, 8,500 rpm redline. The seven-speed gearbox and all-wheel-drive system zaps the convertible to 60 miles per hour in less than three seconds and to a top speed of over 217 mph. Weight also falls by 110 pounds compared to the standard roadster to tip the scales at 3,472 pounds – some 110 pounds more than the SV coupe. It's the razor-sharp styling that really makes the SV Roadster a showstopper, through. The droptop still wears the coupe's carbon-fiber body panels but somehow makes them look even better. The key is removing the two top sections to create a small break in the roofline, and that little change is enough to accentuate the rear's curvy hips. The side-mounted intakes look big enough to carry extra passengers in a pinch. Removing the roof and reshaping the rear emphasizes the nacelles running behind the seats even more. These elements are somewhat visible on the SV coupe, but the engine cover largely hides them. Here, the angular shapes are brashly obvious and look directly inspired by an F-117 stealth jet. To make things even better for the driver, the rear window can be lowered to fully open the cabin to nature. The first deliveries to customers don't start until early next year, and the $530,075 starting price makes it about $37,000 more expensive than the SV coupe. Lamborghini likely doesn't have to worry about finding buyers for this beautiful machine, and production is limited to 500 units, 100 fewer than the hardtop.