cars news 10: Lamborghini Adds 150 Jobs to Prep for Urus Production in 2018

The Huracan dominated Lamborghini’s headlines for much of 2015, but the Italian automaker has been busy with other projects behind the scenes. In addition to selling a record-breaking 3,245 vehicles last year, Lamborghini added 150 employees to its workforce, all of whom are dedicated to the upcoming Urus SUV.

That brings Lamborghini’s total workforce to 1,300 and the automaker says it’ll hire 500 more people in preparation for the Urus launch in 2018. The automaker will also double the footprint of its production facility in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy, to accommodate Urus production.

As previously reported, the Lamborghini Urus will ride on Volkswagen Group’s MLB platform that also underpins the Audi Q7 and Bentley Bentayga. Powertrains have not been confirmed, but a twin-turbo, 4.0-liter V-8 will likely be in the mix.

The Urus is also expected to get Lambo’s first-ever hybrid system. “I think that for Lamborghini, the Urus project can be the first project where we experiment with a hybrid solution,” Lamborghini R&D boss Maurizio Reggiani told us during the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show.

Rumors also suggest Lamborghini will release multiple Urus variants, mimicking what it already does with the Huracan and Aventador. One of those models will likely be a Superveloce version, which should target other quick SUVs like the BMW X6 M and the Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR.

Source: Lamborghini