Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO and effectively head honcho of Ferrari, has confirmed that a Ferrari SUV or a FUV if you will, is in the cards. Sergio Macrchionne confirmed to Bloomberg that the Italian automaker will be building such a vehicle but admitted that they won’t be rushing into anything.

Marchionne’s reasoning behind this is, the brand needs to understand the new relationship and ensure that the new vehicle remains exclusive while still remaining attainable. Unlike Porsche with the Cayenne, Ferrari isn’t interested in creating a high volume SUV to improve its bottom line.

Rather, the automaker wants to make an SUV that is blessed with Ferrari credentials, be able to build them in a ‘sufficient enough volume’ yet, making sure that like many vehicles that preceded it, a certain level of exclusivity is maintained for added value.

Regarding rumours of a potential sell off of Jeep to Chinese automotive giant Great Wall, Marchionne refuted the claim stating that such a move was not be in the company’s best interest at the moment. Jeep holds great value to FCA and though it is opened to a tie up with other automakers to improve its product portfolio, it won’t happen overnight.

This comes after rumours surfaced in August that Great Wall Motor had placed a bid to FCA for the aqquistion of its highly coveted SUV brand, Jeep. In recent years, Chinese automakers have been attempting to establish a beachhead in western markets. Like Geely with the acquisition of Volvo and Lotus, Great Wall may be trying to mimic the move with Jeep.

Whatever the case maybe, FCA’s decision to turn down the proposal, will enable Ferrari to employ the expertise of Jeep’s engineers and their wealth of knowledge as the Italian firm goes to work on creating their very own SUV. Much to the dismay of Ferrari purists, the allure of luxury SUVs has proven too strong for the automaker to resist.

In as little as 30 months, we might be able to get a glimpse of the new SUV, which is the timeframe that Marchionne has given before they decide on production details. This, is a case of never say never, which begs the question, when will we see another Lamborghini SUV?

Source: Bloomberg

Lately, many high-end luxury car brands have taken notice of the SUV craze and have decided to build one of their own. Porsche has the Cayenne and Macan, Bentley has the Benteyga, Maserati has the Levante SUV and Rolls-Royce will be coming out with one too.

Luxury SUVs have been in high demand for quite a while and automakers have noticed this and are capitalizing on it. Now, Ferrari, the most respected name in motoring wants ‘in’ on the action, as well.

Based on an article from the US edition of the Bussiness Insider, CEO of Ferrari’s parent company, Fiat Chyrsler Automobiles (FCA), Sergio Marchionne said that he wouldn’t rule out the possibility of the Italian sports car maker building an SUV. Though stopping short of revealing the time frame, he did imply that the possibility was quite real.

He added that it would be a crime to prevent Ferrari engineers from exploring the possibility of building a Ferrari version of a vehicle with ‘utilitarian features, to travel through uncharted territory’.

Marchionne went on to admit that the SUV market and demand for such vehicles were too big to ignore, and mentioned that Ferrari sees potential in building such a vehicle. However, when asked if the automaker would follow in the footsteps of Porsche with the Cayenne, he replied, “hell no.”

The news seems rather vague, but there is no doubt in our minds that Ferrari is mulling over the idea of creating a Porsche Cayenne rival albeit, more expensive and built in smaller numbers. Ferrari is adamant that unlike Porsche, it want’s to maintain a certain level of exclusivity with its vehicles.

As such, expect more hair-raising news from Ferrari in the coming months when it divulges more about the potential of creating its own SUV. This will definitely seem like stomach-churning news for the Ferrari tifosi and purists alike – so stay tuned.

Source: Business Insider