Ferrari’s upcoming SUV, currently known as Purosangue, will be limited in supply across its multiple powertrains including a V12.
The Italian marque says it’s unlikely to follow other high-end brands in ramping up production to meet the expected demand for its first crossover.
Dieter Knechtel, President of Ferrari Far East and Middle East, told CarExpert the company will diligently manage the supply and demand of its upcoming SUV.
“It will now be another range model, and even now with our range models there is not endless supply. So we will be very careful to balance that properly,” Mr Knechtel said.
According to Mr Knechtel, Ferrari will manage the exclusivity of its SUV in the same way as its other models, meaning special editions or other special variants will be very limited and existing customers will be given priority.
In saying that, the company believes the Purosangue will bring a range of new buyers to its doors.
“It was actually one of the original purposes of investing in that segment. We saw an opportunity to broaden our customer base with people who haven’t been coming into the brand but love SUVs, but since we didn’t have one… now we have an opportunity for them to come into the brand.”
Mr Knechtel believes the SUV will bring a younger customer base to the brand, along with plenty of first-time buyers. Currently, cars like the Roma (70 per cent) and Portofino (60 per cent) attract a great deal of first time Ferrari buyers, but the Purosangue is expected to go further.
As for first-time buyers? “we expect similar trends to happen to the SUV,” Mr Knechtel said.
“That’s fine, it’s something that we wanted – but it’s not to be expected that we would deliver endless supply, it’s not what we can do.”
CarExpert understands the Purosangue SUV will be offered with a naturally-aspirated V12 as well as other powertrain options, with the Maranello-based manufacturer set to make an announcement in regards to its product line-up mid-June.
As for the future of V12s in general? Mr Knechtel says it’s for Ferrari to decide if it wants to continue, and says the brand is capable of meeting emission requirements for V12s as it begins to electrify its range.
“You know as a company we are very proud of our traditions so the V12 engine is very important. Whether in the future there will be space for it, it is up to us to decide. We can manage that, carbon neutrality we can manage in many ways,” he said.
“The V12, our customers love it, I think we carry on for as long as we can and see how it goes.”
Read more about the upcoming SUV here.
