​For many years, Ferrari bosses said they would never produce an SUV, but times have changed, customers demand such cars, and profitability is high. Ferrari has unveiled its first Purosangue SUV, a model that will cost from €390,000 and is the most expensive SUV on the market, alongside the Rolls Royce Cullinan.

The Purosangue has a 6.5 liter V12 engine that accelerates to 100 km/h in 3.3 seconds and has a top speed of 310 km/h. In total, the company worked on the project for four years.

To maintain the car’s exclusivity, Ferrari announced that Purosangue would represent a maximum of 20% of the brand’s annual production. Ferrari’s maximum capacity is 15,000 cars per year, and no more than 3,000 will be thoroughbreds. The car has four doors and four seats.

Deliveries to Europe will begin in the second quarter of 2023. The company said that it was only in 2018 that the technology appeared that would allow the construction of a super sports car weighing less than two tons.

Company executives said interest was so high that Ferrari could soon run out of orders.

The name means “thoroughbred”, in the sense of a horse of a chosen breed, a thoroughbred. In 2016, the late Sergio Marchionne, former CEO of Ferrari, was asked if Ferrari wanted to launch an SUV. “You must shoot me first,” he replied.

In 2017, the design department made its first proposals, and in 2018, the first full-scale prototypes were built.

Ferrari had a record 2021 with deliveries of 11,155 cars, more than 2,000 more than in 2020. 2019 was the first year that the 10,000 mark was exceeded, while between 2011 and 2015 it did not exceed the 8,000 mark in any year.

Last year, almost 5,500 Ferrari cars were delivered to Europe, which is an absolute record. In 2017, it delivered less than 2,500 cars, and 2008 was the first year it came close to 3,000.

Sources: Automotive News, Reuters