Lamborghini has never had a plentiful lineup; since 2003 it has consisted of the Murcielago and Gallardo. For 2012, the Murcielago has been switched out for the all-new Aventador supercar. Discussions in the automotive enthusiast community have been heated regarding a third model lineup. Chief Executive Officer Steven Winkelmann has weighed in, seemingly in favor of a production version of the Estoque concept.
Speaking with Autocar in May, he confirmed the choice were narrowed between and SUV and sedan, saying: “We really have a choice when it comes to an additional model: an SUV or a four-seat, four-door….and for me, the SUV is a no-go. It doesn’t even exist in our price segment and it’s not a real luxury car.”
The Age is reporting that despite that, decision makers are leaning towards a SUV model. As with the recent news about Bugatti’s 16C Galibier being delayed, the final word will be delivered by the end of the year when the VW Group board meets to greenlight future projects. Comments in favor of an SUV have come from Lamborghini’s Asia Pacific head Christian Mastra.
The Asia Pacific region is playing a highly important part of Lamborghini’s future, as these markets are poised to provide a lot of future growth. Referring to the SUV, Mastra says: “We haven’t asked our customers so much in terms of a personal question but the feeling, especially for the new markets, is SUV seems to be the majority…if you think about India, China, Brazil, Mexico — all the new markets are more keen on this kind of car…the aim is to go for a car that you can use every day, not a fun car to use on Saturdays.”
Regardless of whether it can be used every day though, the goal is to make the vehicle “extreme and uncompromising.” The decision hasn’t been made yet. If Lamborghini decides to do an SUV, it does have some history in the endeavor, after it produced the extreme LM002. The new Lamborghini SUV could be a modern day version of the LM002.
But, if it is based off the Porsche Cajun like we’ve heard, that doesn’t seem extreme or uncompromising to us. All this means the Estoque concept could never see the light of day. With Winkelmann’s strong anti-SUV comments though, we aren’t writing it off completely. Executives should reveal the decision either way by the end of the year.
