{"id":93473,"date":"2015-05-05T16:19:31","date_gmt":"2015-05-05T20:19:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=93473"},"modified":"2015-05-05T16:19:32","modified_gmt":"2015-05-05T20:19:32","slug":"a-second-bentley-ute-flood-of-new-luxury-suvs-on-the-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2015\/05\/a-second-bentley-ute-flood-of-new-luxury-suvs-on-the-way\/","title":{"rendered":"A Second Bentley Ute? Flood of New Luxury SUVs on the Way"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Even though it hasn't hit dealer showrooms, Bentley is so enamored with its soon-to-be-released SUV, it's thinking of adding a second to its line-up.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Think the idea of a Bentley SUV is hard to fathom: How about two utes from the stately British marque? That\u2019s one of the maker\u2019s two top priorities, according to Bentley CEO Wolfgang Durheimer.<\/p>\n

And Bentley is far from alone. Porsche already has two utes in its line-up with the launch of the 2015 Macan. Rolls-Royce has confirmed it has an all-wheel-drive model in development. And even Lamborghini and Aston Martin appear ready to join the fray.<\/p>\n

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Subscribe for Free!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The rapid move into the utility-vehicle segment by some of the world\u2019s most exclusive manufacturers probably shouldn\u2019t come as a surprise. It reflects the overall shift in the automotive market. According to data from IHS Automotive, sport- and crossover-utility vehicles will outsell sedans in the U.S. this year for the first time.<\/p>\n

And some of the early utility vehicle pioneers in the luxury market are experiencing huge sales gains. The original Porsche entry, the Cayenne, generated plenty of skepticism when it first came to market in 2002. It is now the German brand\u2019s top-seller, though it may soon be usurped by the smaller Porsche Macan.<\/p>\n

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The Porsche Cayenne is the maker's best-selling model and was the first premium SUV.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

BMW scored big with the original X5 and now offers an array of small, medium and large versions of what it prefers to call sports-activity vehicles. It has stretched the boundaries even further with coupe-like models such as the X6 and X4.<\/p>\n

Mercedes was another early entrant into the luxury ute segment with the original Gelandewagen, a military-oriented off-roader that was relatively short on creature comfort. A new version of what is now known as the G-Class SUV was unveiled this week and joins a wide range of off-roaders and \u201csoft-roaders, from the compact GLA to the big GL.<\/p>\n

(Aston Martin gets $300 million to build new crossover. For details, <\/em><\/strong>Click Here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Audi has a wide range of SUVs in its line-up, as well, and with plans to increase the size of its overall model-mix by 50% before decade\u2019s end, more are on the way.<\/p>\n

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The success of the Cayenne begat the smaller Macan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But it\u2019s only recently \u2013 with one notable exception \u2013 that the SUV boom has pushed into the upper reaches of the luxury market. That\u2019s changing fast.<\/p>\n