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Looks like the family at Sant'Agata Bolognese is about to get a whole lot bigger with the addition of the Lamborghini Urus SUV. Initially confirmed by Audi chief in a report back in 2013, development of the MLB platform-based SUV is well on track to make its global debut come 2018.

More significantly however, is the announcement by Lamborghini that the Urus will be produced at its home facility in Italy. Naturally then, the production site will receive a hike in production numbers, with the company keen to invest "millions of Euros" over the lifecycle of the new model.

"This is a proud moment for everybody in Lamborghini. The introduction of a third model line endorses the stable and sustainable growth of the company and signifies for us the beginning of a new era," said Automobili Lamborghini's CEO, Stephan Winkelmann. "The new SUV will be made in Sant'Agata Bolognese, demonstrating our commitment to safeguarding the values of 'Made in Italy' worldwide," he added.

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The production of the Lamborghini Urus in Sant'Agata will see the facility grow from 80,000 square metres to an area spanning roughly 150,000 square metres. A new production line, larger R&D site and increased warehousing needs are cause for the expansion - 500 new jobs are expected to be created as a result.

As for powertrain options, things look a lot less concrete but we could see a plug-in hybrid setup debut - a similar setup was first seen on the Lamborghini Asterion LPI910-4 concept. As much as we can hope for the presence of the Huracan's naturally-aspirated V10 to feature, going down the blown route might appear as the next logical step to reduce emissions - the twin-turbo 4.0 litre V8 from the VW Group seems plausible.

When it does go on sale in 2018, the Lamborghini Urus is expected to be a hit in markets such as the US, China, the Middle East, United Kingdom, Germany and Russia as well as Asia Pacific nations. Lamborghini aims to sell about 3,000 units of the Urus annually, which should help it double its current sales performance.