Maybe Marchionne’s Italian is rusty.
We don’t know how many times he’s said it, but Ferrari supremo Sergio Marchionne has repeatedly stated the possibility of a Ferrari SUV, with wording chosen to lead journalists like us into believing a high-riding ultra-performance wagon might be on the way. For many, the idea of a Ferrari SUV can cause shock, particularly among diehard fans who believe that the company should never bow to trends. However, it appears that Marchionne’s comments have invoked a different kind of ire, this time from within the ranks.
Autocar reports that during a press conference at the recently-concluded Frankfurt motor show, the question of a Ferrari SUV was posed to the company’s management heads (which weirdly, did not include Marchionne). The query of the possible development of a Ferrari SUV “resulted in a collective groan from top brass,” who are apparently quite tired of having to field these questions every time Marchionne suggests it’s an avenue they may explore.
The response was delivered swiftly by Ferrari’s technology boss Michael Leiters, who said:
“We have many projects, many concepts… but there is no programme [for an SUV] and nothing has been confirmed.” — Michael Leiters, Chief Technology Officer, Ferrari NV
So it appears that, for the near future, the final nail in the Ferrari SUV’s coffin has been hammered in. Of course, they could end up building one anyway, depending on how the upcoming Lamborghini Urus SUV fares on the open market.
That said, we’d be lying if we said we weren’t happy about the position Ferrari has taken on the SUV subject, as the potential dilution the brand could suffer would be nothing short of horrific (if you don’t believe us, read about how the Maserati Levante SUV fared in our review). Besides, isn’t a GTC4 Lusso good enough?
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