Sleek mid-size Maserati SUV takes shape

A new computer generated image of Maserati's first mid-size SUV shows how the new Porsche Macan rival could be styled when it makes its global debut next year.

We’re not sure about the front-end treatment in this rendering from Automedia, which depicts a more aggressive take on the Levante’s headlights, but the rear-end is consistent with the official overhead teaser shot (also pictured here) released as part of Fiat Chrysler Chrysler’s business presentation to investors in June.

What we do know is the Levante SUV’s baby brother – a direct rival for the Macan, as well as the Audi Q5, BMW X4 and Mercedes-Benz GLC – will make its world debut next year, probably at the 2019 Frankfurt motor show next October.

Australia is expected to be among the first right-hand drive markets to receive the as-yet-unnamed mid-size Italian luxury SUV – in 2020.

We also know – because Maserati has said so -- the all-new D-segment SUV will bring “superior ride and handling”, 50/50 weight distribution and a class-leading power-to-weight ratio – but no diesel power.

Instead, it will debut Maserati’s new plug-in hybrid powertrain (not the three-motor, 800-volt pure-electric system destined for all other Maseratis by 2022), but mainstream versions are likely to be powered by the Italian car-maker’s 3.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V6.

This engine produces 257kW/500Nm in the Ghibli and Quattroporte sedans, and 321kW/580Nm in the Ghibli S, Quattroporte S and Levante S.

Whether the biturbo V6 is detuned for the new Maserati SUV remains to be seen, but given the $133,500 Porsche Macan Turbo delivers 294kW/550Nm, a high-output S version is almost a certainty.

Maserati says its newest SUV will be based on a “best-in-class lightweight platform – believed to be the Giorgio architecture that underpins sister brand Alfa Romeo’s Stelvio SUV – and will offer Level 3 autonomous driving tech.

Given the Levante is priced from around $140,000, there's a strong chance this baby Maser crossover will slide under $100,000 and it’s almost guaranteed to eclipse the Levante as the brand's top-selling vehicle, both in Australia and globally.

Maserati has also confirmed replacements for the Levante, Ghibli and Quattropporte — as well as production of both coupe and convertible versions of the striking 2014 Alfieri concept — by 2022.

All three will offer plug-in hybrid and all-electric powertrains, and the GranTurismo sports flagship successor is claimed to hit 100km/h in less than two seconds on its way to beyond 300km/h.

However, the new medium SUV is the most crucial model in Maserati’s ambitious growth plans, which call for 100,000 annual sales and a 15 per cent profit margin by 2022.

Maserati sales in Australia spiked by more than 50 per cent last year — largely on the back of the Levante — although a slow-down in the luxury car market has seen the Italian brand's fortunes dip by six per cent in the first half of 2018, to 391 registrations.