Five Things: carmakers we never thought would build an SUV

Sunday, 4 April 2021

Here are five carmakers we never thought would stoop to building an SUV.

Once upon a time, SUVs were niche products for people wanting to combine decent levels of on- and off-road performance. Now, as technology has improved and people’s tastes have changed, it feels like every carmaker under the sun has half a dozen SUVs on offer.

Here are five we thought would resist the tide.

Porsche

The Porsche Cayenne – the unexpected saviour of the brand.

Back at the turn of the millennium, Porsche was in a bit of a pickle. The 911 was one of the best sports cars on the market, but it didn't really sell enough to ensure the growth of Porsche and the brand was deep in the red.

The Aston Martin DBX is the first SUV for the iconic British brand but is it too late?

* But it's not a real Lamborghini, right?

* AMG beats Alfa's SUV Nurburgring lap record

* Does the world really need a Bugatti SUV?

Jaguar might have been a bit late to the SUV party, but the F-Pace has still been an undeniable success for the brand.

Enter the Cayenne, a project that would apply Porsche’s quality processes to the off-road world while also maintaining a sporty drive and, it turns out, make an absolute boatload of money. It was based on Volkswagen hardware to save costs and ended up securing the future of the 911 and Porsche itself.

Aston Martin

10,000 Urus in less than five years. That’s a pretty good marker for success.

Aston Martin has long been associated with luxurious grand tourers with power to spare, as well as that one heavily copyrighted and trademarked international spy. In the 1960s we had the iconic DB5, in the ‘90s it was the DB7 and then in 2004 we got the DB9.

All were supplemented by various go-fast two- and four-doors but in recent years it has become clear that the brand can’t survive on those alone.

Compared to Porsche, which anticipated the SUV boom by getting in ahead of the crowd, Aston resisted the urge to deviate from its traditions. But the market speaks loudest and, in 2020, we got the DBX. Hopefully it’s not too late.

The famous Prancing Horse will soon adorn the back of a family-friendly (ish) SUV.

Jaguar

Like the previous two entries in this list, Jaguar found itself needing a bit of a cash cow as the 2000s wound on. Sports cars like the F-Type and luxury sedans like the XJ kept the lights on but the SUV boom was just beginning.

Jaaaag waited until 2016 to release its first SUV but when the F-Pace debuted, it quickly became a sales success. It was Jaguar’s highest selling model in 2016 and has held that title ever since.

The E-Pace crossover and I-Pace electric SUV both followed soon after, with the latter particularly offering Jaguar a solid position for the new wave of electric vehicle sales.

Lamborghini

Unlike the other brands on this list, Lamborghini wasn’t really in dire straits when it decided to build an SUV. The Aventador and Huracan were selling reasonably well in 2012 when the Urus concept debuted at the Shanghai Motor Show, and the brand had the safety net of being part of the Volkswagen Group as well.

Nonetheless, more profit is always good for a carmaker, and the SUV market was only getting more lucrative, making the decision to put the Urus into production an easy one.

The Urus immediately became Lamborghini’s best-selling vehicle, pushing the brand’s sales 43 per cent higher in 2019 compared to the previous year.

Ferrari

Ferrari’s SUV isn’t actually out yet, but it’s probably the most surprising on the list. The brand’s late boss, Sergio Marchionne, once famously remarked that he would have to be shot before the Prancing Horse would build an SUV.

Eventually, it seems the bean-counters and board members won out because Ferrari confirmed it was working on an SUV in 2017.

The model is expected to debut in 2021 or 2022 with the Purosangue badge, ready to trade punches with the Lamborghini Urus, Porsche Cayenne Turbo and Mercedes-AMG GLS 63. Nothing is confirmed yet but recent spy videos of the test mule featured the unmistakeable howl of a V12 engine.