Ferrari Purosangue V12 SUV due in September as "true sports car"
Official teaser gave clues to design of Ferrari's first SUV
Maranello’s first SUV will be offered with a 12-cylinder engine to rival top-rung Bentley Bentayga
Ferrari will unwrap its long-awaited debut SUV, the Purosangue, in September - and the first version to break cover will be powered by the firm's "most iconic engine": a V12.
Giving new details of the Aston Martin DBX rival at Ferrari's Capital Markets Day, CEO Benedetto Vigna told reporters: "From my and our test drives in the hills around Maranello I can tell you that it’s a true sports car, and unlike any other".
It will be "100% Ferrari", he added, and pledged that "it will meet and exceed all the demands of performance, innovation and design that you would expect from us".
On the subject of the engine choice, Vigna said previously: "We've tested several options. It was clear that the V12, for the performance and driving experience it could provide, was the right option for the market."
His comments came after the sports car maker posted a video online, confirming it was creating a new V12-powered Ferrari, prompting speculation about whether it referred to the Purosangue or the unnamed successor to the Ferrari 812 Superfast.
The firm referenced “our new thoroughbred’s bloodline”, which hinted that it will be the SUV because the car’s Italian name translates as thoroughbred, before the news was confirmed by Vigna. It remains to be seen whether this will be the 6.5-litre unit deployed in the 812 Superfast.
Ferrari added: “The V12 has always been an intrinsic part of Ferrari DNA. It is a celebration of our heritage, and a symbol of our relentless quest for new heights of performance and pure driving emotion.”
A new #Ferrari is coming. Born without compromises, unmistakably Ferrari at heart. Powered by our iconic V12 engine. Stay tuned… pic.twitter.com/ycMcTrVtgE
— Ferrari (@Ferrari) May 4, 2022
All future Ferrari models will be built around two bespoke architectures, giving two distinct model lines: one for mid-engined supercars, such as the Ferrari 296 GTB, and the other for front-mid-engined GT-style cars, including the new SUV.
Both architectures are able to accommodate V6, V8 and V12 engines, with or without hybrid assistance and with a transaxle dual-clutch automatic gearbox; rear or four-wheel drive; and two-, 2+2- or four-seat cabins from variable-wheelbase lengths.
From these wide-ranging parameters, the SUV will take the form of a four-seater with a length of around five metres, and its high ground clearance is likely to be achieved through height-adjustable suspension and an anti-roll system to allow for impressive on-road dynamics and some off-road ability.
The car’s design has been officially previewed in only a front-end shot that gave little away, but leaked images earlier this year provide a better look at the Purosangue’s overall design.
“I’m convinced on this car and the technical concept,” Ferrari’s then chief technical officer, Michael Leiters (now McLaren CEO), told Autocar in 2019. “I think we’ve found a concept and a package which is on one side a real SUV and will convince SUV customers to buy it, but on the other side there’s a huge differentiation of concept to existing SUVs.”
That concept is based around Ferrari’s ability to mix a bespoke architecture (as opposed to one shared across a wider group, such as the Volkswagen Touareg and Audi Q7-derived MLB platform used by the Bentley Bentayga and Lamborghini Urus) that endows the car with not only Ferrari levels of performance and dynamic ability but also the space, comfort and user-friendly cabin required of an SUV.
“The challenge is to open a new segment for Ferrari,” said Leiters. “We always have very, very sharp positioning. It helps to develop cars in a certain, focused manner and easily decide certain trade-offs.
“The trade-off decision is totally different for us here. We will have totally new engineering challenges.”
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 on the cards. Ferrari aims to increase the sales share of its electrified models to 60% by 2026 - and already its line-up is split 50:50 between pure-combustion and hybrid models.
All the Ferrari GT models, including the SUV, will get a completely new interior layout based around what the firm calls an ‘eyes on the road, hands on the wheel’ approach. Among the features will be a new steering wheel design, new infotainment, a head-up display, new instruments, new ways of operating the cabin controls, rear-seat entertainment and improved ingress and egress.
“In the function of different customer requirements, do we need space? Six or eight cylinders? A long wheelbase? So we can offer V6, V8, V12, front- or mid-engined, hybrid or not, two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, 2+0, 2+2 or four seats; vary the wheelbase a lot. We’re able to manage very easily and have a very low impact doing it.”
Head of design Flavio Manzoni said the designers have been working with engineering right from the start to ensure optimum proportions for what is set to be a controversial model for the brand.
“You start defining the design of the car in the first steps,” he said. “In that defining phase, we work with the engineers. We can determine the proportions and the dimensions to have a very good base to work from. That’s the case for the SUV as well. Many SUVs are derivatives of other cars. Designers have many constraints due to the technical base. In our case, it’s no compromise.
“If we don’t start together with engineers, defining together with the package, it’s a problem. I praise a lot of the collaborations when we start a new project.”