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UPDATE: What Is a 2018 Lamborghini Urus Test Mule Doing at the Munich Airport?

Previewed in 2012 at the Beijing Auto Show, confirmed for production four years after, and slated to go on sale in 2018, Lamborghini’s Urus is designed to bring all-new customers to the raging bull of Sant’Agata Bolognese, people that wouldn’t have considered Lamborghini on their shortlist. As we patiently wait for the Italian manufacturer to finish R&D on its first SUV after the full-on LM002, a test mule of the all-new Urus was spied in the parking lot of a busy airport. In Germany, of all places.
2018 Lamborghini Urus test mule 11 photos
Photo: Rowan Horncastle on Twitter
2018 Lamborghini Urus test mule at Munich airportLamborghini Urus conceptLamborghini Urus conceptLamborghini Urus conceptLamborghini Urus conceptLamborghini Urus conceptLamborghini Urus conceptLamborghini Urus conceptLamborghini Urus conceptAudi Q7 wrapped as 2018 Lamborghini Urus test mule
Snapped by Top Gear’s editor-at-large Rowan Horncastle sitting idly next to a Volkswagen Touareg and a SEAT Exeo Wagon, the mule is uncannily similar to an Audi Q7, save for the psychedelic wrap, hood vents, and some tape on the front fascia that reads “Lamborghini.” On closer inspection, the left-hand side is adorned with a decal that says “Urus.”

I’m a bit baffled by Rowan’s find, TBH. I mean, when was the last time a manufacturer put the name of its yet-unlaunched model on a mule? What’s more, Munich airport’s parking lot isn’t exactly the best place to hide a prototype from the prying eyes of the shutterbugs. Be that as it may, I don’t doubt that this is a precursor to the production-spec Urus.

“Hang on. Isn’t Lamborghini an Italian company? Why is the Urus in Germany?”
I have no idea about that, but I can tell you two things on this matter. One: Lamborghini is owned by Audi, itself owned by the Volkswagen Group. The four-ringed automaker happens to run a design studio in Munich. Two: Audi’s main technical development facility is located in Ingolstadt, which is half an hour's drive from Munich.

“So you’re saying that this is not a proper Lamborghini?”
In a way, it isn’t. But on the other hand, Lamborghini won’t settle for just an Audi Q7 with a pointier nose. It will try its best to make the Urus feel unlike any other SUV out there, not even the Bentley Bentayga. Speaking of the Bentayga, the MLB 2 (MLB evo) platform is shared with the Bentley (and Audi), though the Urus will be tuned to handle like a Lamborghini.

On the oily bits front, the Urus will use a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 manufactured by Porsche and used by the German brand in the Panamera. Swapping cogs will be the duty of an 8-speed automatic. Look forward to at least 600 PS (592 bhp) from the Urus when it drops by in production form in 2018.

UPDATE

Here’s a photo of the rear end and an apology, because this isn't a test mule.

According to our shutterbugs, the pictured car is “NOT a Lambo Urus in any way. It’s an Audi Q7 from a German dealer in Nurnberg.” One of the oldest Lamborghini dealers still in existence, if I may add. The explanation seems to hold water, especially now that we can properly see what it reads on the left-hand side: “der Urus kommt,” which translates to “the Urus is coming.”

In other words, the German dealer will have the Urus in stock when Lamborghini finishes development on the LM002’s indirect successor.

Audi Q7 wrapped as 2018 Lamborghini Urus test mule
Photo: CarPix

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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