Lamborghini Urus SUV launched in India at Rs3 crore

Like other Bologna-made cars, the Lamborghini Urus will be imported to India as a CBU, with no plans for production or assembly in India. Photo: Abhijit Bhatlekar/Mint

Mumbai: Italian luxury carmaker Automobili Lamborghini SpA launched its Urus SUV in India on Thursday. With the underpinnings of a sports car, it’s thought to be the world’s fastest SUV and is priced at Rs3 crore (ex-showroom, Mumbai).

Urus is the second SUV launched in India by the Bologna-based company.

Urus is built on the Volkswagen Group’s MLB EVO platform, which is shared by the Audi Q7, the Porsche Cayenne and the Volkswagen Touareg, among others. It is powered by a 4.0-litre, twin-turbo V8 engine that makes 650hp and 850Nm of torque. The super SUV has an eight-speed automatic gearbox and can reach 100km/hour in 3.6 seconds. Its top speed is around 305 km/hour.

The Urus competes with the Bentley Bentayga, Porsche Cayenne Turbo S as well as the Range Rover LWB SV Autobiography.

India is a strategic market for Lamborghini in terms of future growth volumes, said Sharad Agarwal, head of Lamborghini’s India unit.

“India is one of the first few markets in the world where the Urus is being launched. Given the advantages this car brings, our India sales volumes should rise threefold by 2019, after the model is more easily available,” he added.

Like other Lamborghinis, the Urus will be imported to India as a completely built-up (CBU) unit, with no plans for production or assembly in India, said Andrea Baldi, general manager of the Asia-Pacific region for the company.

To maintain exclusivity, all Lamborghini cars are manufactured at the company’s Bologna plant, he added.

Terming the model “a complete game changer” for Lamborghini, Baldi said India plays an important role in Lamborghini’s global decision making, adding that an SUV was the right call since customers desired the performance of a sports car coupled with the driveability and versatility of an SUV.