Ferrari has long been rumoured to be considering entering the highly-competitive SUV market, rivalling the likes of the Bentley Bentayga and Porsche Cayenne.
While the Italian supercar manufacturer has said on multiple occasions a crossover could muddy the brand's image, it appears to have changed its mind.
Chief executive Sergio Marchionne told a conference call an SUV "will probably happen but it will happen in Ferrari’s style," reports AutoExpress.
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He added: "That space is too big and too inviting and we have a lot of our customers who will be more than willing to drive a Ferrari-branded vehicle that has that kind of utilitarian objective."
According to the magazine, the company is "seriously considering a product push beyond its traditional supercar fare in a bid to double profits by 2022". A crossover could be just the car to do it.
Here's what we know so far about the rumoured SUV.
Marchionne is ‘dead serious’ about it
Ferrari chief executive Sergio Marchionne has stoked speculation about a Ferrari-branded SUV by saying the company is “dead serious” about building an off-roader.
“We need to learn how to master this whole new relationship between exclusivity and scarcity of product”, he told Bloomberg. “Then we’re going to balance this desire to grow with a widening of the product portfolio.”
The news site says that the prancing horse-badged crossover is “beyond” just a consideration, with the firm planning to “take about 30 months to decide on production”.
“Ferrari will present a new five-year plan that runs through 2022 in the first quarter of 2018,” adds Bloomberg, and the much-rumoured crossover is expected to lead “a major expansion push” in an attempt to “double profit by 2022”.
The Italian carmaker currently limits its production output to 10,000 units per year, says Auto Express. It does this to “to stay on the correct side of emissions rulings in some markets”, the magazine says, while also ensuring “a level of exclusivity for the brand too”.
Design
Analysts told Autocar an SUV is being developed under the codename FUV - "Ferrari Utility Vehicle". It's rumoured to "not have visible rear doors", suggesting it could be one of the first luxury SUVs on the market with a three-door design.
This is supported by the company's commercial chief Enrico Galliera, who told the magazine: "We are not producing an SUV because an SUV is not a sports car. It can be fast, but it’s not a sports car. We are not producing a four-door because while a four-door can be fast, it’s not a sports car."
Any crossover could take the form of "a four-seat family car that offers more space than Ferrari’s current two-door GTC4Lusso", says Business Insider, and will be "targeted at Asian customers, particularly in China".
Engines
Ferrari's SUV could be among the first models to incorporate a hybrid powertrain. AutoExpress says the company is looking "to ensure it can continue to grow sales without breaking emissions rules".
Hybrid powertrains are only available in the firm's LaFerrari hypercar and are used to boost performance rather than fuel efficiency. These electric motors are paired with a V12 engine, which could filter down into the SUV.
Ferrari also has a V8 turbocharged engine in both the GTC4Lusso T and the California T, which are the cheapest and most efficient cars in the line-up. Ut may appear in the SUV along with a hybrid system, although no engine specification has been confirmed by the company yet.
Price and release
If Ferrari is developing an SUV, fans should expect a price of more than £150,000, to compete with the Bentley Bentayga and Porsche Cayenne.
