Ferrari Purosangue rendered

If you thought the Lamborghini Urus was the ultimate high-performance family hauler, take a look at this beast – the Ferrari Purosangue SUV.

Ferrari’s first ever SUV will deliver head-turning looks even if it departs somewhat from the Italian supercar brand’s traditional design philosophy, as previewed by these fresh renders from digital artist Nikita Chiuko.

The Purosangue name translates as ‘thoroughbred’ and the all-new model will be officially revealed in September, but for now these unofficial renders closely match the vehicles seen previously in spy shots, teaser images and leaked photos.

That means a sleek wagon-like body shape not dissimilar to the GTC4Lusso and the FF that preceded it, but riding on a (very slightly) raised ride height, borrowing design cues from the Ferrari Roma and offering an extra pair of doors, making it Ferrari’s first-ever four-door model.

The four/five-seat Italian stallion will be powered initially by a naturally-aspirated V12 engine, most likely a development of the Ferrari 812 Superfast coupe’s 6.5-litre unit (588kW/718Nm), channelling power to all four wheels via a dual-clutch rear transaxle.

First mooted by the late Sergio Marchionne in 2017, the idea of a Ferrari SUV represents a significant shift in direction for the famed Maranello brand, which had stridently resisted the lure of an SUV as it didn’t want to be perceived as a making a quick buck from ultra-rich soccer mums.

While Porsche and Lamborghini SUVs now account for the lion’s share of those exotic car-maker’s sales – and profits – Ferrari says it will cap the number of Purosangues it builds at 20 per cent of overall sales.

“The Purosangue won’t be the most relevant model from a sales perspective,” insisted Ferrari’s chief marketing and commercial officer Enrico Galliera during a market strategy meeting last month.

Time will tell if Ferrari’s accountants believe this is the best strategy going forward.

Expect to see a lavish luxury cabin fit-out inside, along with a range of active chassis systems including an intelligent anti-roll system, plus adaptive dampers and height-adjustable suspension as Ferrari seeks to ensure its first SUV is also the world’s most dynamic crossover wagon.

It will need to outpace the likes of the Lamborghini Urus and Aston Martin DBX if it wants to claim that bragging right, but given the ballistic SUV will leverage the same new platform architecture that will eventually form the basis for all of Ferrari’s upcoming mid/front-engined models, it should be pretty handy on a racetrack as well as the road.

Ferrari has confirmed its new platform is compatible with V6, V8 and V12 engines, and can be augmented with hybrid technology, future-proofing its supercars – and SUVs – against stricter emissions regulations in many key global markets.

The modular platform allows for rear- or four-wheel drive layouts and is flexible in terms of length, meaning this swoopy new SUV could deliver five, six or even seven seats in future – something that Galliera hinted at by revealing that future vehicles will offer “two, four and more seats”.

The Ferrari Purosangue has been confirmed for Australia but pricing, specification and timing are still unknown.

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