Lamborghini unveiled its first sport-utility vehicle in almost two decades as the Italian supercar maker looks to expand its line-up to tap rising demand from emerging markets. The Volkswagen unit unveiled the concept SUV, called the Urus, in Beijing yesterday before this week’s auto show in the Chinese capital.

Lamborghini sees potential sales of 3,000 vehicles a year for the SUV, chief executive officer Stephan Winkelmann said at a company presentation. A final decision to produce the vehicle hasn’t been made, he said. “If you’re going to enter a new segment, you have to remain true to your core values,” said Mr Winkelmann. “Our core values are uncompromising, extreme and Italian.”

Lamborghini joins Bentley Motors and Fiat Maserati in super-sizing their supercars a decade after Porsche broke with tradition and rolled out the Cayenne in 2002. The German maker of the 911 sports car now counts on the SUV for half its deliveries. Demand for luxury SUVs is forecast to climb 49 per cent in China to 265,200 units in 2015. – (Bloomberg)