Madness at Ferrari! The brand could launch an SUV to boost its sales

We’re still rubbing our eyes and banging our heads against the wall. Everything points to Ferrari possibly considering producing an SUV to boost its current sales volume. For now it is only a rumour revealed by the British magazine Car, but it could become reality by 2021, the year the GTC4 Lusso is due for renewal. The first super-sports SUV from the prancing horse brand would not arrive until then.

The new 2+2 is known internally in Maranello as project F16X and, according to the source, it would reach the market with a dual engine line-up, a petrol V8 and a hybrid powertrain. The project apparently stems from the need for Ferrari to increase its current sales volume and exceed 16,000 units a year in order to give its financial results a strong boost.

Lamborghini Urus, rival of the possible Ferrari SUV

The news, not confirmed by the Italian manufacturer, has caused a sensation. Sergio Marchionne, current CEO of the brand and chairman of the FCA Group, once flatly stated that an SUV bearing the brand’s logo would never leave Maranello… But Marchionne will step down in 2019 if his retirement follows the course he himself set, and the truth is that Ferrari is a brand whose main goal is profitability. And given the strong shift the market is making towards SUV or crossover models, Marchionne’s prediction may ultimately prove firm only while he remains at the helm.

The truth is that all sports car manufacturers have for some time been exploring new territories for their brands and, despite the initial criticism from their more traditionalist customers, the results obtained have been frankly positive.

The first to break the ice was Porsche, initially with the Cayenne and later with the Macan, vehicles that ultimately have proved key to making the brand profitable. The British Aston Martin (now under the control of the Indian group Tata) are working, though without haste, on their DBX project. And Lamborghini, the traditional direct rival of Ferrari, has already started production of the Urus, an ultra-sporty SUV that it will launch onto the market over the coming year and with which it hopes to double its sales in 2018.