Lamborghini Urus SUV

Lamborghini has unveiled the Urus SUV at its headquarters in Sant'Agata, Italy, where the supercar maker owned by the Volkswagen group is expanding the factory to meet utility vehicle demand. The Urus enters a luxury field crowded with the Mercedes G-Class, the Bentley Bentayga and the Porsche Cayenne — and soon to be joined by Aston Martin, Rolls Royce and, gasp, Ferrari.

From being nonexistent in 2006, high-end SUVs have more than quadrupled in sales since 2010, from 4,700 units to almost 21,000 units in 2016, driven by the Mercedes G-Class and Bentley Bentayga. SUVs are the fastest-growing overall segment of the car market, tripling in sales in a decade from just under 8 million units in 2006 to nearly 26.5 million units last year.

IHS forecasts Urus sales of 2,900 a year to a peak in 2019-2020, putting it on par with the Lamborghini Huracan. And as with cars in the super luxury segment, the profit margins can be large. In the United States, SUVs are reshaping the luxury market, outpacing car sales and reaching a new audience, with the appeal strongest in trend-setting cities like Los Angeles, Miami and New York.