Ferrari is reportedly racing ahead with the development of its long-rumoured Purosangue, a supercar-inspired SUV that will go head-to-head with the Lamborghini Urus and Bentley Bentayga.
Dubbed an “FUV” by the Italian marque, meaning Ferrari Utility Vehicle, the Purosangue is expected to be a sleek, high-riding vehicle that the company hopes will be another lucrative revenue stream.
SUVs exploded in popularity around the start of this decade, although Ferrari had always insisted that it would never build its own crossover fearing that it may muddy its brand.
However, the company’s former chief executive Sergio Marchionne had a change of heart in 2017, saying that an SUV “will probably happen but it will happen in Ferrari’s style”.
Then, in October 2018, Ferrari executives confirmed that an SUV was in the works at the firm’s Capital Markets Day, says Auto Express.
There’s still a long way to go before the car makes its public debut. There are, however, a host of rumours and reports to unpick in the meantime:
What does Purosangue mean?
The Italian word purosangue means “thoroughbred”, a nod to the prancing horse that adorns the marque’s badge.
Release date
Ferrari has yet to announce a definite release date, though the car isn’t expected to arrive for several years.
According to Car magazine, the Purosangue will be unveiled towards the end of 2021, before customer deliveries get under way in early 2022.
That time frame is considerably later than Ferrari initially planned.
Before his passing in July 2018, Marchionne told Auto Express that the Purosangue would launch “probably by the end of [20]19” or “the beginning of [20]20”.
He added that he had “seen the car when I was in Europe eight days ago” and that Ferrari had created “mock up bodies” of the SUV, the magazine reports.
It’s believed Marchionne’s successor, Louis Camilleri, postponed the SUV’s launch shortly after taking over as Ferrari chief.
Pricing
Given that the Purosangue will go up against the £160,000 Lamborghini Urus and the £182,000 Bentley Bentayga W12, expect a figure at around the £200,000 mark.
Design
There are only a handful of spy shots showing Purosangue development cars, but they don’t offer us a clear look at the SUV’s design.
YouTube channel SupercarsNews posted a video in October that showed a high-riding Ferrari test vehicle at the company’s factory in Maranello, Italy.
While the tall ride height suggests that the vehicle is indeed a Purosangue test car, the vehicle’s bodywork appears to have been taken from a Ferrari GTC4 Lusso grand tourer. This is a common practice among carmakers who are looking to develop a new vehicle’s chassis before the design has been completed.
However, Motor1 claims to have used “information from insiders” to create a rendering of the Purosangue, giving us a better look at the car.
If the rendering is accurate, the SUV will take inspiration from the design of Ferrari’s 812 Superfast, including the wide grille and sculpted rear wheel arches. The vehicle also sports four doors, which seems to dispel early rumours that the vehicle will be a two-door model.
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