Lamborghini Says Urus SE And Next 2029 Urus EV Won’t Chase Ferrari Purosangue

For 40 years a Range Rover was as luxurious and aspirational as SUVs got, but for the past decade the Brit off-roader has been consigned to second-stringer by new arrivals like the Bentley Bentayga and Lamborghini Urus. But now they in turn have been pushed aside by the even more expensive Rolls-Royce Cullinan and Ferrari Purosangue, and Lamborghini’s R&D boss says he’s fine with that.

Former Audi man, and now Lambo Chief Technical Officer, Rouven Mohr, told Carscoops that the influx of rivals wasn’t a problem.

Related: Lamborghini Urus SE Is A 789 HP PHEV With A 37-Mile Range

“The segment is still growing, so there is plenty of opportunity for multiple brands,” Mohr said, pointing to the Lamborghini’s record-breaking 2023, where it shifted more than 10,000 cars for the first time ever, in no small part due to the continuing demand for the hardly-fresh Urus.

Speaking to us at Lamborghini UK Day, an owner-focused event where the Urus PHEV made its British debut, Mohr claimed that it was “more important for a brand and its models to find their own place” rather than chase other cars.

Even if that means conceding top SUV honors in terms of positioning to Ferrari and its pricier, V12-powered Purosangue? “Yes,” said Mohrs, without hesitation, before going on to suggest that even when the new Urus EV lands in 2029, the SUV would maintain its current market position. It’ll be expensive, but not so expensive as to prevent Lambo shifting a truckload of them – probably twice as many as the Ferrari will build – to the kinds of buyers that love the current model.

Mohr also said that Lamborghini would be foolish to ignore the increasingly capable and ambitious Chinese brands, even if they currently seem more of a threat to mass market Western automakers than high-end specialists like Lamborghini.

“I’d never underestimate any trend, and it would be a big mistake to do that in the case of the Chinese,” said Mohr. “And in China they have the advantage of a level playing field because buyers aren’t aware of a brand’s heritage in the same way Western buyers are.”

However, China is not a huge market for Lamborghini and Mohrs went on to suggest that Chinese firms aren’t quite as advanced as some of us have been led to believe.

“The big advantage they have is development speed,” he explained. “But their technology is not dramatically better than anything we have in the West.”

The current Urus S and Performante are sold out until 2025 so the plug-in SE will be the only version of the SUV available when deliveries begin later this year. Though it can’t match the Ferrari Purosangue’s prestigious cylinder count, the V8-equipped PHEV outpowers its rival, pushing out 789 hp (800 PS) to the Maranello crossover’s 715 hp (725 PS). Prices haven’t been revealed but it’s likely to come in at well under $300k, versus $400k for the Ferrari.

Apart from making 132 hp (134 PS) more power than the non-hybrid Urus S and Performante, and being able to travel for 37 miles (60 km) on electric power, the SE also brings some aesthetic improvements. A longer hood eliminates the cheap-looking plastic filler panel above the grille on the older cars and a thicker black section between the taillights mimics the look of Lamborghini’s supercars.

Lamborghini showed off two different versions of the Urus SE at the UK launch, as well as multiple Revueltos, one of which was designed to highlight the possibilities of the Ad Personam personalization program.

A virtual reality display let the 200 invited owners see under the V12 supercar’s skin, a bank of driving simulators was on hand to let them experience how a Lambo acquits itself on track, virtual-style, and the firm’s Polo Storico classic team showcased its talents through the medium of a stunning yellow Diablo.