As the last of the renowned exotic cars, Ferrari is now wrestling with an SUV. The Purosangue is to become the sportiest vehicle in its segment. But the Italian sports car brand also thinks “green” and is planning to build an electric model.
Their names are Urus, Bentayga, Cullinan and Levante. Hardly any industry expert would have predicted a few years ago that these luxury SUVs would help their brands Lamborghini, Bentley, Rolls-Royce and Maserati to significantly increase sales. Aston Martin also relies on the SUV business model with the DBX.
Only one thing is missing from the exotic group: Ferrari. And anyone who remembers the answer given by former Fiat / Chrysler boss Sergio Marchionne to the question about a Ferrari SUV – “You have to shoot me first!” would perform. Because Marchionne’s successor, Louis Camilleri, did not really like the SUV idea at first.
times are changing
The mood has changed, prototypes around Maranello are driving photographers more and more often in front of the camera. Probably this year, but no later than 2022, a new chapter in Ferrari’s corporate history will begin in the form of the Purosangue (Italian: thoroughbred). The SUV is the successor to the all-wheel drive station wagon GTC4 Lusso, which expired in mid-2020, and is the first Ferrari with four doors. Prices are around 300,000 euros (no, the NoVA is not included).
Technically, the Purosangue is based on a new front-engine / all-wheel drive platform, which should also be used for other models in the future. A newly developed V6 turbo gasoline engine takes over the propulsion. Eight and twelve cylinders are left out. However, the customer should be able to choose a hybrid drive in combination with the V6.
Successor to LaFerrari
Apparently Ferrari is also working on a successor to the LaFerrari from 2013. Because it is part of the tradition of the Italian brand to delight fans with a limited edition hyper car once a decade. One thing is certain, the model – debut around the end of 2022, market launch in 2023 – will have a plug-in hybrid drive, probably the one with a V8 and three electric motors from the SF90. This drive layout would also be conceivable with the new V6, as the developers are increasingly focusing on lightweight construction and agility and the sheer number of horsepower is becoming less important.
One of the regularities at Ferrari is also to crown series at the end of their production life with a special farewell model. It would be the 812, since 2017 the most powerful series Ferrari ever built with 800 hp. It is now available with enhanced performance as the 812 Competizione. Around 2023 Ferrari will then present the successor model, of which there should also be an open version again. Connoisseurs of the scene consider it unlikely that the Italians will then say goodbye to their twelve-cylinder – but also a hybridization of the V12.
Fate could overtake the Portofinio (debut 2017) without leaving an inheritance. The luxurious convertible, extensively revised in September 2020 and since then given the designation M for Modificata, is essentially too close to the technically identical Roma, which will apparently also be available in an open version from next year.
“Affordable” entry-level Ferrari model
What many Ferrari fans lack in the portfolio is an inexpensive entry-level version, crisp, light and puristic. If rumors are to be believed, such a model is said to be in the making, based on the chassis of the F8 Tributo. This is expected from 2023.
A year later, Ferrari will then be launching a fully electric model for the first time. What kind of body it is is still open, but certainly more of a Gran Turismo Coupé like the Roma than a racer like the SP90 Stradale, if only to accommodate enough battery capacity in the floor pan. Derivatives of the first Stromer are also being considered. Because, of course, the strategists in Modena do not miss what is happening at Porsche in Zuffenhausen. The Taycan 4 Cross Turismo is already at the start here.
Michael Specht / SPX