Here’s What We Know So Far About Ferrari’s First-Ever SUV

We can almost hear it–the sound of that “swoosh” as Ferrari‘s reputation of more than 70 exclusive years of building sports luxury cars passes us by. Because by the year 2022, it will build its first-ever SUV that’s a total opposite to what it once stood for.

Of course, not all is lost when they launch this SUV in the market. There is still sporadic traces of elitism and mild snobbishness that’s seen in bits and pieces here.

Let’s start with the name, which means “thoroughbred” in Italian. No, don’t just pronounce it like you’re reading this morning’s newspaper. Make sure to emphasize the first and third syllables, please: “PUR-o-SAN-gue.”

The strongest accent should be on the “PUR,” and should be pronounced in a leisurely manner. Roll the “R” on your tongue, soften the “O,” pronounce the “A” in “SAN” like the British “A” in “art.” Make sure to say the last syllable “GUE” with a soft “G”–and more importantly–breathlessly: “POORH-OH-san-GWEH.”

And another thing: don’t EVER call it an SUV. You will incur the wrath of Ferrari’s new CEO Louis Carey Camilleri: “That word [SUV], I do not want to hear it in the same phrase as Ferrari,” he was once quoted saying during their presentation. “It just does not sit well with our brand and all that it represents.”

So, let’s just call it “that word” for now. And when others ask what “that word” is, just say “that word” and don’t say anything anymore. It’s better to get the confusion and ire of the ordinary masses than get a cold shoulder from the Ferrari.

And don’t even dare call it that dreaded “crossover”–or Ferrari will probably ban you from its dealerships for life. Better call it an FUV, or Ferrari Utility Vehicle, which seems to suit the company’s lofty tastes just fine.

“It will look like whatever a Ferrari utility vehicle needs to look like,” former Ferrari CEO and Chairman Sergio Marchionne once said. “But it has to drive like a Ferrari.”

Of course, since it’s from Ferrari, then expect perfection–and a delayed release in the market.

According to Camilleri, the company is refining the “most important vehicle” in decades, so it will come later than the expected 2020 date that former
Marchionne once said.

That said, there are some things you should definitely keep in mind with the Purosangue:

• Ferrari wants it to be the world’s fastest “FUV”;
• It will be a four-door, four-seater FUV;
• It will have a suspension system that can be lowered and raised when needed;
• It has a “revolutionary accessibility and state of the art comfort on board”; and
• It’s an electric-gasoline hybrid.

Other reports say that it will have V12, V8 and V6 options, with a plug-in hybrid technology for some engines. In all likelihood, it would probably be a V8, although this needs further confirmation from the company. Whatever the case, you should never, ever forget this one important rule: it’s an FUV–not an SUV. And yes, we’ll change the title now.