Lamborghini has managed to cash in big on the crossover boom with the Urus. The automaker's first-ever crossover (the LM002 was a truck) has been warmly received by its fanbase and has managed to attract new customers, lifting the company's annual sales to never-before-seen heights.
Since its introduction in 2017, it has received a mid-cycle refresh that has expanded the lineup to two versions, the S and Performante, and a plug-in hybrid derivative is in the works as we speak. Moreover, the Lamborghini Urus' success has also forced other exotic car manufacturers to come up with similar proposals, like the Ferrari Purosangue.
Even though it has nothing in common with the LM002, as it uses the same nuts and bolts as the VW Group's large SUVs, the Urus can at least trace its roots back to the iconic off-roader, which also came to life at the Sant'Agata Bolognese factory, in Italy. The truck's name stood for Lamborghini Militaria (LM), and the 002 came as a continuation of the 001 prototype unveiled at the 1981 Geneva Motor Show five years before the assembly of the LM002 kicked off.
As a result, a hypothetical pickup version of the Urus would be named the LM003 to honor its legendary predecessor. The super crossover has already been imagined with an open bed behind the cockpit multiple times, with the latest coming from Digimods Design on Instagram. The rendering artist has managed to keep the Urus' spirit alive while improving its hauling, and we think it looks great, especially with the elevated ground clearance, chunkier black cladding, and additional bits and bobs.
In theory, Lamborghini has the right tools and knowledge to launch a pickup version of the Urus. In practice, such a model would need some positive feedback from its fanbase and, ultimately, the Volkswagen Group's blessing. However, we all know that premium workhorses don't tend to sell well, and after the catastrophic failure of the Mercedes-Benz X-Class, which was based on the same platform as the thid-gen Nissan Navara, not many automakers are willing to risk huge chunks of money to come up with one.
As a result, as much as some enthusiasts would want an open-bed Urus, chances are the Italian exotic car maker will never give it the green light for production. This is what we believe anyway, and there's nothing to suggest otherwise at the time of writing. On the other hand, a pickup version of the super crossover would be a great way to send it off in a few years before the model leaves the assembly line for good. But if money was no issue, would you really pick one up if it was available despite not having a body-on-frame construction?
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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