Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelman this week confirmed that its plans to produce an SUV are still very much full of life. Not only will the Italian supercar marque preview a concept at the forthcoming Beijing Auto Show, but he detailed in an interview how a production run could make the vehicle available by 2017. Adding further fuel to the fire was the lodgement of the trademark of Deimos, which some believe could be the model name.
Since all Lamborghinis are by definition four-wheel drive, the leap from supercar to crossover is not as large as some old-school fans may think. The concept to be unveiled at Beijing will certainly help to judge reaction of the public, both the international motoring analysts and judges, and the consumers in one of the fastest growing markets for aspirational performance cars. Certainly, the press received by Bentley when they presented their all-road sporting concept will not have gone unnoticed by Winkelman’s team. In the interview he was quoted as saying that ‘for the brand, emotions are important.
Any new model “must always be immediately recognisable as a Lamborghini’.
Whilst Lamborghini four-wheel drive is legendary, it is expected that parent company Volkswagen will make available the same platform that enables the Audi Q7, VW Touareg, and Porsche Cayenne. Indeed, Winkelman explained in this week’s interview that ‘Lamborghini has been running at a loss since 2009, and is now under pressure to become profitable from parent company VW Group who will decide this year whether to go ahead with the SUV’s production’.
Using the existing technology and developing it to suit the expectations of Lamborghini customers, one can expect a vivacious vehicle, with a modified version of the Gallardo’s V10 engine, some striking Lamborghini trademark lines, and a soundtrack to match that of the Gallardo.
Confirming the expectations that the Lamborghini unit has already done its homework and that VW’s decision is likely to be positive, he said that ‘it usually takes 48 months until an all-new vehicle arrives at dealers, so the new Lamborghini would not be available to buy before 2017. We definitely need a third line in the mid- and long term. An SUV would be the first Lamborghini for everyday use, not just for the race track or weekends. We would have the opportunity to win new customers’.