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Lamborghini confirms 2018 SUV as third model line

► Lamborghini confirms third model line
► SUV based on Urus to launch in 2018
► Lambo crossover to be built in Italy

Lamborghini is veering off-road with today's announcement that it has given the green light to the Urus SUV concept car, which will launch as a high-performance crossover in 2018. We're expecting a price tag around €170,000, or £120,000 in today's money, making this the cheapest Lambo in the range.

It's one of the worst-kept secrets of the car industry and we've already reported on how the Italian government has been lobbying to keep production in Sant'Agata. Looks like the Italians have won that particular battle.

Lamborghini's SUV: what we know

The supercar maker today confirmed it would launch a third model line to sit alongside the Aventador V12 and Huracan V10 supercars. At a stroke, the SUV will double production at the Italian factory, as it's forecast to account for 3000 extra sales a year.

Although a hybrid powertrain is highly likely for the 4wd Lambo, we expect the Audi group's latest 4.0-litre V8 to provide the backbone of the engine line-up. Will there be a diesel Urus? That's most likely a step too far for Lamborghini, although it is technically feasible should markets demand it.

Lambo says it is targeting existing owners who currently have to shop outside the family for their SUV fix (that's you, Range Rover) as well as 'families and customers new to the Lamborghini marque.' Most customers are expected to be concentrated in 'the US, China, the Middle East, United Kingdom, Germany and Russia.'

The Urus pictured in our photo gallery is the concept car shown at the 2012 Beijing motor show; expect substantial fine-tuning before it launches in 2018, as the intervening six years will have seen Lambo's design pencil case evolve considerably. Tellingly, the company hasn't named the car yet, so expect a new badge.

The industrial logic behind the Lambo 4x4

There was a risk that the SUV could be produced overseas at a facility producing the Audi Q7s and Bentley Bentaygas with which it'll share its underpinnings, but Lamborghini successfully lobbied to keep final assembly at Sant'Agata Bolognese. The factory footprint will now double in size to 150,000sq m and around 500 extra staff will be recruited.

Rupert Stadler, chairman of parent company Audi, said: 'Lamborghini, Italdesign Giugiaro and Ducati have developed very successfully under Audi parentage, and kept their Italian identity. With the decision to produce the Lamborghini SUV in Sant’Agata Bolognese we have proven once more our commitment to Italy as an important automotive industrial nation.'

Automobili Lamborghini president and CEO Stephan Winkelmann added: 'This is a proud moment for everybody in Lamborghini. The introduction of a third model line endorses the stable and sustainable growth of the company and signifies for us the beginning of a new era. The new SUV will be made in Sant’Agata Bolognese, demonstrating our commitment to safeguarding the values of ‘Made in Italy’ worldwide.’

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