Lamborghini's new $200,000 SUV is more popular than expected

Lamborghini's new $200,000 SUV is more popular than expected - with one New York dealer saying he expects to sell out of his orders as soon as they arrive.

Brian Miller, President of Manhattan Motorcars, which sells Lamborghini and other luxury brands, said he already has orders for 60 Urus SUVs even though the vehicle doesn't start arriving until December. He said he plans to get about 100 vehicles in total.

"I'm sure they will all be sold," he said in an interview at the New York Auto Show. "It's very popular."

Miller said his average selling price for the Urus, with options and customizations, is around $225,000.

What's even more surprising than the demand for the world's most expensive SUV, however, is who's buying it. Lamborghini CEO Stefano Domenicali said 70% of Urus buyers have never owned a Lamborghini.

One reason for the first-time-buyer surge is that wealthy car enthusiasts who live in cities or countries with bad roads couldn't drive Lamborghini's low-slung sports cars without ruining them. The higher-sitting Urus has Lambo's signature power, engine sound and bold angles but can easily glide over potholes, dirt and steep bumps.

Miller said the typical Urus buyer is also wealthier client than the traditional Lambo buyer.

"Lamborghini has always been a brand that many people stretch to get into," he said. "We had a lot of younger people and it wasn't the big money people we would have loved to see. I think the Urus is bringing a lot of those people."

The Urus is the most radical change to Lamborghini in decades, eventually doubling the company's annual production. Domenicali said the company will end 2018 with a total production of around 5,000 cars - more than 1,000 of which will be the Urus. By the end of 2019, the SUV will account for more than half of Lambo's anticipated production of 8,000 cars.