Lamborghini Urus – super SUV to get plug-in hybrid?

It’s been less than a couple of days since it was unveiled – the Lamborghini Urus, which uses a turbocharged engine for the first time ever in the company’s history, now looks set to be electrified.

Auto Express reports that a hybrid version of the super SUV is “necessary” according to a company insider, and it’ll possibly arrive before the turn of the decade. “We have to provide [hybrid] as an option,” the publication was told.

Electrified cars have been essential in ensuring sales success, such as that in China and Japan (important markets for the Sant’Agata company) with their heavy taxes. Currently, the Urus is only available with a 4.0 litre twin-turbo V8 that’s paired with an eight-speed auto.

However, since it’s based around the same platform as the second-generation Porsche Panamera, it’s possible that the Urus may benefit from the same plug-in hybrid powertrain as the range-topping Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid. In the Porsche, the system, which pairs a 550 hp 4.0 litre biturbo V8 to an electric motor, has a total system output of 680 hp and 850 Nm of torque, good for a 0-100 km/h sprint time of 3.4 seconds.

These numbers are close to the Urus’ petrol-only figures of 650 hp and 850 Nm (0-100 km/h in 3.6 seconds), so it’s safe to assume that the hybrid version will pack an even bigger punch – apparently shaving as much as half a second off the century sprint.

Besides the increased output, the Urus may also be the first production Lamborghini to be driven in complete silence. The Panamera has an electric cruising range of about 50 km on a full charge, something no Lamborghini has ever been capable of. That may very well change, and real soon too.

GALLERY: Lamborghini Urus

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