Ferrari had admitted that developing the Purosangue SUV will be a tougher challenge than the SF90 Stradale with its complex hybrid powertrain.
Hot on the heels of the Italian car manufacturer unveiling the SF90 Spider, Ferrari chief technical officer Michael Leiters was asked whether making an electrified powertrain feel like a proper Ferrari or if trying to get an SUV to feel like a Ferrari, was more challenging.
“The SF90 was a challenge, but the Purosangue SUV is another dimension of complication,” Leiters told Top Gear. “And this means we need a certain culture and test procedures so we can meet customer requirements for SUVs. But I’m very confident. Personally, I’ve done a lot of SUVs and I think we’ve understood what’s necessary for an SUV that’s a real Ferrari. When it’s time we’ll show you it’s not a contradiction.”
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Leiters is perhaps the perfect man for the job as he was formerly in charge of SUVs at Porsche.
A handful of Ferrari Purosangue prototypes have been spied testing in recent months with most a mish-mash of random Maserati and Ferrari parts. However, as these prototypes have sported pre-existing body panels from the Ferrari parts bin, it’s impossible to know just what the finished SUV will look like.
Similar questions remain about the vehicle’s powertrain. One likely candidate is the 3.9-liter twin-turbocharged V8 of the GTC4 Lusso, tweaked to around the 650 hp mark, perfect to allow the Ferrari to rival the Lamborghini Urus. It’s also possible that the twin-turbocharged hybrid V6 currently being developed by the car manufacturer could be offered.
