A Lamborghini SUV?

Rendering of Lamborghini SUV
(from roadandtrack.com)

An Associated Press article picked up by philly.com reported that Lamborghini execs are considering manufacturing an SUV. The presumed principal market for the vehicle would be North America.

I'm not a car enthusiast, but I have a healthy respect for Lamborghinis. A number of years ago, I was driving along a California hill road when two Lamborghinis passed me. Lamborghini sightings were rare enough, but seeing two was akin to hitting a high-odds daily double. I was going around 70 mph and, when the high-performance cars went by, I realized they were really, really fast. I also understood the drivers weren't really pushing the cars' potential for sudden, exceptional speed. Well, we all can dream.

That real brush with automotive fantasyland gave me a sense of the romance implicit in driving a high-performance car. That's why I can't fathom why Lamborghini would consider manufacturing something as inherently clunky and inelegant as an SUV. Don't get me wrong: we happen to own and like an SUV. However, we don't confuse it with a high-performance machine. And no one imagines James Bond dashing about in an SUV, unless he can't get to his destination any other way.

Lamborghini should stick to making sexy, fast cars, and drive away from the SUV market. The faster Lamborghini stays true to its personality, the better.