Lamborghini Wants To Target Women And Families With The Urus SUV

TopSpeed

By Kirby Garlitos

Published Sep 1, 2016

Give the Italian automaker credit; it knows what it needs to make the Urus successful

Lamborghini will forever hold its raging bull persona to its heart, but it’s also trying to show a softer side now that it’s under the leadership of Stefano Domenicali. That “gentler philosophy,” as Domenicali describes it, will be put to the test as Lamborghini sets out to target female buyers with the Urus SUV, the model that the company is banking on to double it’s annual sales volume to 7,000 units in the first year of its release.

Numerous data have indicated that luxury female buyers are a growing market for automakers in the segment. According to MaritzCX, the sales of premium small SUVs from 2010 to 2015 jumped 177 percent. In the U.S., J.D. Power & Associates reported that female buyers accounted for 53 percent of all small SUVs and 48 percent of small premium SUVs sold. Those numbers reflect a growing trend that Lamborghini is keep to capitalize on when it releases the Urus SUV in 2018.

In addition to female buyers, the Italian automaker is also looking to tap into a younger target audience that may otherwise find themselves priced out of both the Huracán and Aventador supercars. At a price of around $200,000, the Urus is not only a little cheaper than the entry-level Huracán LP580-2, it also provides all the benefits of an SUV compared to the traditional sports car setup.

Even with this outlook, there are still some issues and challenges that Lamborghini must navigate through if it wants to gain some traction in this market. A big part of it is convincing female buyers of the practicality of the Urus. That’s a concept that’s far removed from both the Huracán and the Aventador, but given the fact that the Urus is a model that has more inherent appeal to females than the two supercars, Lamborghini can position itself in such a way that it can communicate the quality of the SUV in a way that will convince female buyers. The challenge now is to see that objective through.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

Why it matters

Give props to Lamborghini for taking this step even though purists might think it runs counter to the core ethos of the Italian automaker. The truth of the matter is that this isn’t a money issue or even a gender issue. It’s about an opportunity issue that the Italian automaker recognizes as right there for the taking.

It’s a smart move because Lamborghini isn’t putting its identity first when it comes to the Urus. It’s putting substance at the helm and if it can convinces buyers, be it male or female, of the character of the Urus apart from its performance credentials, then the SUV will be appealing regardless of who the buyer is. The Porsche Cayenne proved as much and it’s been a home run for the German automaker. If Lamborghini can package the Urus in a similar way to tap into multiple markets, then the opportunities will present itself in the form of buyers.

There’s truth to the belief that there are challenges that come with being more flexible with its market. Some people may have issues with it, and those reasons may be justified. But those are issues that Lamborghini will have to deal with and accept in order for it to achieve its goals. It’s not going to be a popular decision for those who hold the raging bull close to their hearts, but it is the smart one and Lambo would be foolish not to tap into it if there were opportunities to do so.

Stefan Domenicali said it best: “A bull is always aggressive, but I would like to give us a new philosophy toward the future: A bull can be gentle.”