2024 Lamborghini Urus PHEV Caught Testing in Winter Wonderland, 820 HP Rumored

1 year, 7 months ago - 8 February 2023, autoevolution
2024 Lamborghini Urus PHEV Caught Testing in Winter Wonderland, 820 HP Rumored
Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. made a name for itself by means of wedge-shaped thrillers with naturally-aspirated V12 engines mounted right behind the driver’s backside.

The Raging Bull of Sant’Agata Bolognese also produced a naturally-aspirated V8 in the good ol’ days, a powertrain that was indirectly replaced by a naturally-aspirated V10.

The Italian automaker still rocks a V8, albeit a twin-turbocharged engine developed by Porsche rather than Lamborghini. Codenamed EA 824 by Audi and EA 825 by Porsche, this 90-degree powerplant can be found under the hood of the Urus, a performance-oriented sport utility vehicle built around the VW Group MLB Evo platform.

Praised by motoring journos and owners alike for being the most dynamic MLB Evo-based sport utility vehicle, the Urus received a mid-cycle refresh last year. Gone is the Urus we know and love in favor of the Urus Performante and Urus S. Both of them rely on the V8 engine described earlier, and neither surpasses the magical 700-horsepower mark. That, however, will soon change.

Enter the Urus PHEV, or whatever the Raging Bull is going to call this variant. Spied testing in sub-zero weather, the camouflage-wrapped prototype gives away its plug-in setup with a plethora of high-voltage stickers.

From a visual standpoint, Lamborghini gifted the most efficient Urus of them all with a restyled front bumper. The hood lacks the air vents of the Performante and S. Out back, it’s hard to say what has exactly changed. Even if the aesthetic upgrades prove to be limited in their scope, prospective customers will be certainly wowed by what hides under the skin of the long-anticipated Urus PHEV.

First confirmed for series production before Lamborghini started making the Urus, the plug-in hybrid will borrow the Turbo S E-Hybrid powertrain of the Panamera and Cayenne. Lamborghini being Lamborghini, we’re keeping our fingers crossed for more than 700 horsepower on full song. Hearsay suggests two power levels for the Urus PHEV-specific powertrain, namely 675 and 820 ponies.

675 seems a bit vanilla for this application, especially after you account for the weight of the lithium-ion battery. 820 seems a little optimistic as well. As mentioned earlier, over 700 ponies appears to be the most sensible gauge.

The Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid cranks out 671 horsepower and 664 pound-feet (900 Nm) of torque. For the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid, make that 690 horsepower and 641 pound-feet (870 Nm) on full song.

The Urus PHEV won't be the only plug-in hybrid in the Italian automaker's lineup. Lamborghini will reveal the replacement for the Aventador in late February 2023, packing a naturally-aspirated V12 engine and plug-in assistance. Later on, the replacement of the Huracan will debut with plug-in assistance as well, albeit the naturally-aspirated V10 of the Huracan will be gone in favor of a twin-turbo V8 lump that reportedly revs to 10,000 rpm.

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