What's all this about?

Lamborghini has revealed a new plug-in hybrid version of its Urus SUV that claims to be the most powerful production SUV on sale. With 800hp at the disposal of the driver’s right foot, the Urus SE will also offer newfound efficiency from its meaty plug-in battery, as well as epic performance.

So the V8 has been ditched?

Don’t be ridiculous. This is Lamborghini we’re talking about. The hybrid system doesn’t really exist to lower emissions as much as to augment the capabilities of the engine. In this case, the 4.0-litre turbocharged V8 remains in situ, creating 620hp all by itself. That’s just joined by an electric motor that lives in the eight-speed automatic gearbox and produces a further 192hp.

Yes, we’re well aware those two numbers do not add up to 800, but that’s essentially because you can’t get both motors producing full power at the same time, so 800 it is. Still, that’s more than you get from the Urus S, so the SE model is a bit quicker in a straight line. Getting from 0-62mph takes 3.4 seconds, and getting from 0-124mph takes 11.2 seconds – figures that are respectively 0.1 and 1.3 seconds better than those of the Urus S. And the 194mph top speed is a 4mph improvement on the Urus S.

So what does the hybrid system do apart from improve performance?

Obviously, there’s an improvement in efficiency, but Lamborghini hasn’t yet released any figures surrounding CO2 emissions or fuel consumption. Not that we suspect customers will care all that much unless they want to buy their Urus through their company. For those customers, though, we are expecting a significant drop in emissions from the SE version.

That’s mainly because there’s a 25.9kWh battery under the boot floor that provides “more than 60km (37 miles)” of electric-only range. Whether that’s true in the real world remains to be seen, but it’s the figure Lamborghini is quoting at present, and it should be enough to cover most urban journeys without the need for the V8. Doesn’t mean customers won’t use it, of course. It just means they won’t have to.

The system is also used to help change the driving characteristics of the car, working with the car’s driving modes, the electronic rear differential and the electric torque vectoring system that distributes power between the wheels. That allows Lamborghini to change the way the car behaves on a race track or a farm track, tweaking the power delivery as necessary.

Has Lamborghini changed anything else for the SE?

Of course. Externally, the SE gets some tweaked aerodynamic features, with new bumpers, a new bonnet and reworked headlights, as well as a new grille. At the back, meanwhile, you’ll find a new diffuser. The whole ensemble is designed to improve aerodynamic performance, with the diffuser working with the spoiler to provide 35 per cent more rear downforce than the Urus S. Similarly, the new nose has helped Lamborghini improve brake cooling by 30 per cent, with help from the tweaked underbody that has delivered a 15 per cent improvement in the flow of cooling air to the engine bay.

Inside, meanwhile, Lamborghini has fitted a new 12.3-inch touchscreen with the brand’s latest infotainment tech, and there’s a reworked digital driver display that now shows data related to the hybrid system, as well as existing features. New materials have also been applied to the dashboard and seats, while new air vents have also been fitted.

How much will it cost?

Short answer? We don’t know, but we’re expecting it to cost more than the existing Urus S. Expect more detail when the full specifications are announced closer to the market launch.