Lamborghini CEO: No autonomous tech for Urus SUV

Despite an ever-increasing push toward autonomous automobiles, Lamborghini’s chief executive officer says the company’s upcoming Urus SUV won’t feature self-driving tech.

The Urus will break the typical Lamborghini mold by adopting a high-riding SUV body (although the company did produce the LM002 in the late 1980s and early 90s), but Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann says it won’t shatter the company’s image as a driver’s marque. To that end, Winkelmann told Leftlane News that the Urus won’t include the kind of autonomous tech that’s becoming evermore commonplace in high-dollar automobiles.

The Urus will undoubtedly serve as more of an everyday car than either the Huracan or Aventador, but Winkelmann cited a “willingness to drive the car” by Lamborghini owners as the reason for omitting autonomous technologies in the new SUV. In a nutshell, Lamborghini believes that if you’re buying an Urus, you still want the thrill that comes with driving a Lamborghini-badged vehicle.

Not surprisingly, Winkelmann says the Urus is being tuned for on-road performance, but added that the 4×4 will have some degree of off-road prowess. However, the Urus’ off-road clout will likely be limited to light backwoods duties.

Winkelmann stopped short of confirming a turbocharged engine for the Urus, but said the SUV represents “an opportunity to have a turbo” in the Lamborghini lineup. Previous reports have indicated that the Urus will use a twin-turbocharged 4.0L V8 for motivation.

The Lamborghini Urus will likely debut in either 2017 or 2018 before going on sale during the second half of 2018. Lamborghini is hoping to sell about 3,000 units of the Urus per year, which would double the company’s annual sales.