Luxury marque Lamborghini expects to at least double production to 7,000 vehicles a year by 2019 once it rolls out a new SUV, but it ‘will not lose its focus’ on making sports cars, the company promises.

Chief executive officer Stefano Domenicali said it plans to cap yearly production of its supercars at 3,500. He also expects sport-utility vehicle production will be at least as high but could be higher depending on demand.

The new SUV will go on sale in 2018 starting at around BD75,000. The Italian automaker is owned by Volkswagen Group through its Audi unit.

Lamborghini will ‘push like hell’ to sell 3,500 or more of the SUVs, Mr Domenicali said, adding interest in it is high in the US and the Gulf region. “It’s a big game-changer.”

The auto industry veteran, who was named CEO in February, said Lamborghini plans to boost its worldwide dealer network to 160 from 132 now. In Bahrain sales are arranged through dealers Al Ghassan Motors at Moda Mall.

Lamborghini sold a record 3,245 vehicles worldwide in 2015. “We will not, clearly, give up on our DNA, which is to produce super sport cars,” he said.

The marque is adding 500 employees and doubling the size of its Sant’Agata Bolognese plant in Italy as part of a multi-million-euros investment programme.

Lamborghini is joining several luxury carmakers that have entered the profitable SUV market, including VW’s Porsche unit.

Mr Domenicali, a former Ferrari and Audi executive, said he wants to keep brand volume limited. The company, for example, recently unveiled its Centenario Roadster, and said the company had already sold the 20 roadsters it was building at a starting price of 2 million euros, around BD840,000.

Lamborghini plans a plug-in hybrid electric version of the SUV by 2020, and could add a zero-emission vehicle.

Domenicali said the SUV could be a platform for future autonomous vehicles, but such vehicles won’t hurt the brand. “If you buy a Lamborghini you want to drive ... we are talking about emotions,” he said, adding that steering wheels won’t go away in Lamborghinis: “In life, technology has to be part of the emotion.”