Official: Lamborghini SUV coming in 2018

The off-roader will pack about 600 horsepower.

After years of rumors and speculation, Lamborghini has announced the Urus concept (pictured) that was shown at the 2012 Beijing Motor Show has been given the green light for production. The SUV - which will most likely get a new name - is scheduled to go on sale in 2018.

Lamborghini briefly considered building the Urus alongside the Audi Q7 and the Porsche Cayenne in Slovakia, but irresistible tax incentives provided by the Italian government convinced the automaker to assemble it in Sant'Agata Bolognese, its home town. The Raging Bull will expand its factory with new facilities and a new production line, and it will considerably increase the size of its research and development department.

Official details about Lamborghini's next SUV are few and far between. Rumors indicate it will be powered by either the naturally-aspirated 5.2-liter V10 engine found in the Huracán LP 610-4 or by a downsized V8 engine likely borrowed from the Volkswagen Group's parts bin. Either way, the off-roader will offer 600 horsepower in its most basic state of tune and it will come standard with all-wheel drive.

The production version of the Urus will boast technology gleaned from Lamborghini's high-end sports cars. Notably, it will make extensive use of carbon fiber and insiders say it will tip the scale at no more than 4,400 pounds, a respectable amount for such a large vehicle.

Although the SUV will carry a base price of roughly $200,000, Lamborghini expects it can double its annual deliveries by selling at least 3,000 examples of it. Its main markets will be the United States, China and the Middle East, followed by Germany, the United Kingdom and Russia. Hailed as the only member of the Lamborghini lineup designed to be used as a daily driver, the off-roader will lure a new category of buyers into showrooms.

Looking backLamborghini introduced a Hummer-esque SUV called LM002 at the 1986 Brussels Motor Show. Nicknamed the Rambo Lambo, the LM002 was powered by a Countach-sourced 5.2-liter V12 engine that made 444 horsepower thanks in part to six Weber carburetors. A little over 300 examples of the LM002 were built by the time production ended in 1993.