Ferrari is preparing to enter the performance SUV ring in 2022 as new images shared on social media preview the SUV’s styling ahead of its official unveiling later this year. The pictures, which allegedly show the Purosangue's front and rear, appear to have been taken inside a private facility. Ferrari has refused to comment and it is unclear where they were originally posted.
- New Purosangue expected to get hybrid powertrains
- Based on a bespoke GT car platform
- Debut later this year
Ferrari Purosange: What do the leaked images show
As hinted at by production-spec prototypes, which hit the road late last year, the Purosangue looks to feature a more overtly GT-inspired silhouette than other cars in its segment. The front features C-shaped headlights like those worn by the Ferrari SF90 and the distinctive rear light bar appears similar to that of the Ferrari Roma coupe.
Short overhangs and a long, low bonnet are among its other defining characteristics, hinting at a maintained focus on big power and keen handling for Maranello’s first SUV.
Importantly, the low leading edge of the bonnet hints at an engine that has been pushed further back into the chassis for improved weight distribution, in a front mid-engined set-up that’s reminiscent of the lower-slung 812 Superfast grand tourer.
Due later this year and being developed under the codename Purosangue, which means ‘thoroughbred’ in Italian, the new Ferrari promises to be like no other performance or ultra-luxury SUV on the market, thanks to different positioning from the likes of the Aston Martin DBX, Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus and Rolls-Royce Cullinan.
The SUV, known internally as 175, is one of 15 new Ferraris announced last year, and is set to be launched by 2023. The SUV will be built on a bespoke architecture for front mid-engined GT-style cars.
All the Ferrari GT models based on the new platform, including the SUV, will get a completely new interior layout based around what Ferrari calls an ‘eyes on the road, hands on the wheel’ approach. The features list includes a new steering wheel design, new infotainment, a heads-up display, new instruments, new ways of operating the cabin controls, rear-seat entertainment and improved ingress and egress.
Ferrari Purosangue: three engine options likely
Ferrari remains tight-lipped on the Purosangue’s specifics, but it is known that the car will employ one of two highly flexible structures that will underpin Ferrari’s future range.
Both architectures– front mid-engined and a traditional mid-engined layout– are able to accommodate V6, V8 and V12 engines, with or without hybrid assistance and with a transaxle dual-clutch automatic gearbox.
Plug-in hybrid technology is also set to feature as pressure grows to cut emissions, with the powertrain to be derived from that of the new V6-powered Ferrari 296 GTB, though a version of the electrified V8 used by the SF90 is also on the cards. A range topping V12 is also likely.
Also see:
Ferrari Portofino M India review: Dark Horse
Ferrari Roma India review, test drive