Lamborghini’s->ke44 2017 Urus SUV has been a long time in gestation. First unveiled in 2012, a production version isn’t due until 2018. Even the Hot Wheels version beat it into production. Still, there’s good news for interested parties, as Lamborghini reports that the model will remain true to the 2012 Lamborghini Urus concept.

Unlike other exotic manufacturers who are showing up at the premium-SUV->ke145 table, this is not Lamborghini’s first SUV. The Urus couldn’t be more different from the 1986-1993 Lamborghini LM002 of the 1980s, though. It’s a pavement-focused SUV, with plans for a plug-in hybrid->ke4486 version and Lamborghini’s first turbocharged engine, according to CEO Stephan Winkelmann. The Urus concept looks smaller than it is, thanks to sleek, flat-planed lines, a distinctive Lamborghini family face and massive 24-inch wheels. Engine details haven’t been released, but a version of the Lamborghini V-10 that powers the Huracan is likely. It's been hinted that all-wheel drive and a dual-clutch transmission will be standard. Considering that an all-new 2018 Porsche Cayenne is due in 2017, there's a high possibility that the Urus will share some underpinnings with it.

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Why it matters

When it goes into production, the Urus will be built at Lamborghini’s Sant’Agata Bolognese factory. Sales are expected to hit 3,000 per year, which would be a dramatic step up in volume compared to the Aventador->ke3624 and Huracan->ke4345, and could potentially double Lamborghini's sales. Lamborghini plans to hire as many as 500 additional employees and double the size of its factory to make this happen. The addition of an SUV may not please the purists, but it's a strategy that has worked well for Porsche.->ke1

If the Urus is indeed Cayenne->ke212-based, that will mean that parent company Volkswagen->ke94 is getting a lot of mileage out of its full-size->ke4304 SUV platform. The Volkswagen Touareg,->ke321 Audi Q7->ke1083 and Cayenne all use versions of it, as will the upcoming 2016 Bentley Bentayga.

2017 Lamborghini Urus

You can check our speculative review of the new Urus here.