Lamborghini Urus Will Make More Power Than the Hottest Huracan

Lamborghini won't be taking the Urus SUV lightly—frankly, it can't afford to. Since the company anticipates a boom in production numbers once the luxo-barge goes on sale, there's a lot riding on the model's success. To promise outlandish desirability and top-notch performance, the automaker has announced it will stuff the Urus engine bay with 650 horsepower and a nearly equal number of pound-feet of torque, which means more power than even the Nurburgring-record-holding Huracan Performante.

Lamborghini CEO Stefano Domenicali revealed the info to Automotive News Europe in a recent interview discussing the Urus's specifics. The company released earlier on that the SUV will use a 4.0-liter twin turbo V8, differing from the V-10 and V12 models in the rest of its lineup. The Urus will ride on the MLB platform, an architecture that is shared with other big Volkswagen AG machines like the Audi Q7 and Bentley Bentayga.

Domenicali also announced earlier that a plug-in hybrid model will be coming about a year after the release of the standard Urus. That would make the SUV the first Lamborghini to use any sort of electric power, perhaps foreshadowing future hybrid applications for the exotic manufacturer.

Lamborghini expects to build 1,000 Urus models in its first year, capitalizing on a company-record 3,457 units produced in 2016. By 2019, the company looks to build 3,500 Urus SUVs alone, more than doubling the automaker's already-growing figures.

Expect to see the Urus on sale in the United States sometime during the third quarter of 2018. The starting cost will clock in around $200,000, slotting it just below the outlandishly luxurious Bentley Bentayga.