Lamborghini Urus SUV Concept

As is the tradition, the SUV's name is derived from the world of bulls. The Urus, also known as Aurochs, is one of the wild ancestors of domestic cattle. According to the Italian automaker, the Spanish fighting bull, as bred for the past 500 years, is still very close to the Urus in its appearance.

At 4.99 m long (196.5 inches), 1.99 m (78.4 inches) wide and 1.66m (65.4 inches) tall, the Urus is about 120mm longer and 16mm wider but also 30mm lower than a BMW X6.

Lamborghini has not yet specified the front-mounted engine, but it says it will have an output of 600HP and the lowest CO2 emissions in its class. Chances are a production model would be fitted with either a V10 or Audi's new V8 turbo, perhaps even both. Either way, the engine transmits its power to both axles via a dual-clutch gearbox and permanent four-wheel drive transmission with traction control.

The Urus uses the same platform architecture as the Bentley EXP 9 F study and the next generations of the VW Touareg, Porsche Cayenne and Audi Q7.

According to the company, the class-leading CO2 emissions target will be achieved thanks to the lightweight design philosophy not only in the chassis and bodywork, but the interior as well, through the use of what Lamborghini calls “innovative” carbon fiber technologies.

This offers the advantage of a low center of gravity, improving handling, another area where the Urus aims to beat its competitors. Since it’s an SUV, the off-roading part is taken care of not only by the AWD system but also by the variable height suspension and front spoiler and the good approach angle.

“The Urus is a very concrete idea for the future of Lamborghini – as a third model line and as the perfect complement to our super sports cars”, said Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Lamborghini. “SUVs stand for freedom and emotion. SUVs make up one of the most successful market segments worldwide. The Urus is the most extreme interpretation of the SUV idea; it is the Lamborghini of the SUVs.”

It’s also the first modern Lamborghini that seats four instead of just two passengers and can be used as a family’s sole car. This, of course, while true, is mostly pure PR talk, just like the claim of the Charging Bull having an SUV history. First, it’s highly unlikely that any Lamborghini-owning family has only one car, and second, the LM002 sold a mere 300 units in its six-year long lifespan.

The truth is that the Urus’ mission is twofold: the first part is to convince the company’s customers to park a Lamborghini rather than a Range Rover next to their Murcielago/Gallardo/Aventador in their garage.

The second part is to significantly increase Lamborghini’s production. The bean-counters at the VW Group estimate that the SUV, which is targeted mostly at the USA, United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, the Middle East and China, can reach annual sales of around 3,000 units.

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New Volkswagen Cross Coupe SUV Concept

The German automaker says that concept is a study for a potential new CC-style SUV that "hints at how a crossover between a four-door coupé and an SUV could look like" -think small BMW X6- while also previewing an evolved form of VW's current design language.

The concept is the first VW model based on the company’s new ‘modular transverse matrix’ or MQB platform architecture to be shown to the public. The MQB chassis will be used in a number of VW Group models ranging from the next Golf to the Audi TT's successor.

At 4,345 mm (171.0-in.) long, 1,868 mm (73.5-in.) wide and 1,523 mm (59.9-in.) tall, the Cross Coupé fits exactly in between the current Golf hatchback and the Tiguan SUV in size. However, it's 2,630 mm (103.5-in.) wheelbase is 52 mm longer than the Golf and 26 mm longer than the Tiguan, which not only gives it a more dynamic appearance, but also helps improve interior space.

VW says that despite its sporty looks, the Cross Coupé is also a capable off-roader model boasting a 24.2-degree angle of approach and 32.5-degree angle of departure.

The four-seat Cross Coupé features a hybrid powertrain that links a TSI direct injection turbo petrol engine to two electric motors, one located at the front and the other at the rear, which produce 54HP (40 kW) / 180 Nm of torque and 114HP (85 kW) / 270 Nm respectively. The hybrid system's combined output is 265-horsepower allowing the crossover model to sprint to 100km/h (62 mph) in seven seconds en route to a top speed of 201km/h (125 mph).

VW says the concept can travel up to 40 kilometers (25 miles) on purely electric power.

The Cross Coupé also features an innovative all-wheel drive system with an ‘electric drive shaft’, in which the rear axle is driven by the rear electric motor. "In this situation power is supplied to the rear electric motor by the one at the front, which during this phase acts as a generator powered by the TSI engine," says Volkswagen.

The elimination of the conventional drive shaft allowed VW to place the SUV's battery package in the central tunnel thus saving space and allowing for a low center of gravity and a balanced spread of axle loading.

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