@MDEL thanks for the recognition Mario. There are many great opinions here. @Lukeylikey, you are right: resistance is futile
I just can agree with everything you said. My expectancy is that the FUV will be something different from all the existing SUV's and Crossovers. May be a special evolution of the GTC4 Lusso as forecasted by Jerry (Caeruleus 11) and mentioned on post 524. The task won't be easy because Ferrari has to come up with a design which is simultaneously original and appealing. Despite of the fact that Ferrari considers that the new car isn't an SUV or a Crossover, performance and driving wise it will have to be superior to anything in existence in this segment by 2022. There are companies like Lamborghini and Bentley that have introduced new technological breakthroughts in their new cars. Because roll has always been one of the SUV's Achilles hell the Bentayga and the Urus both have very innovative active roll stability control systems that keep these heavy cars almost flat with the horizon while curving on the road and off-road negating, that way, the higher center of gravity. These incredible systems can be associated to the last generation adjustable suspensions and rear wheels turning making the road curving performance of a SUV/Crossover identical to the one of the GT's and that's something that was unthinkable a few years ago.
It's not a provocation and just an unworked metamorphosis that is meant to suggest how it's possible to progress from a four seat two-doors GT to a four seat four-doors "FUV". However I believe that Ferrari and Manzoni will be able to do something much, much better than this and they have plenty of time to do it.
After revealing the Chiron Divo at Pebble Beach elegance concourse Bugatti’s CEO gave some information on the company future plans. Stephan Winkelmann that has leaded Audi Sport and Lamborghini revealed that a Bugatti SUV could be the next car of the brand. Winkelmann’s past as Lamborghini leader while the Urus appeared helps to reinforce the idea that an SUV can be a reality. After the enormous financial fiasco that was the Veyron the VW group probably isn’t interested in investing in a new models whose demand isn’t guarantee therefore an SUV could be a more sensible and safer gamble. Despite of the fact that the Bugatti SUV is in a price segment different from the Purosangue FUV and oriented for a totally different clientele, it could be launched more or less at the same time during 2022. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
A new article on Autoxmagazine about the Purosangue shown in the pictures below. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Great find Mario. And good point about Bugatti SUV. I think I read something from Bugatti that said they are not going to develop an all new non hybrid engine.
An Alfa Romeo Stelvio with a Ferrari badge... Oddly enough and quite strangely, I like it. Can't explain why The Alfa SUV platform would perhaps allow a more aggressive and striking design for a Ferrari FUV, rather than the GTC4Lusso platform... None of the photoshopped images of the forthcoming FUV based on the GTC4Lusso appealled to me. Kind regards, Nuno.
The upcoming Ferrari SUV won't look like an SUV. It will be something new and different, a new way of thinking. Ferrari really has to invent the wheel all over again. I'm not sure how they will do it, but they will surprise us with a car that even us SUV-deniers will appreciate. I don't like the idea, but when you see true sportscar/supercar makers with a racing history like Porsche and Aston Martin coming up with SUVs, I don't see why Ferrari should not join the competition. And they will join the competition by actually making a real bespoke super SUV, and not something made up with parts from the bin at VAG in Germany. From what I've heard, it won't be that big either. Like a compact Lusso with more ground clearance.
I agree with you Nuno and despite having posted already many different pictures, I haven't seen one yet of a Purosangue rendering that really appealed to me. Some of us have the perception that the FUV will be a kind of lifted GTC4 with four doors, more internal space, but with a very different and revolutionary design. Being the GTC4 such an extraordinary car and having already some of the features an SUV/Cross over requires, like for instance the AWD achieved in a special way, it seems quite natural that Ferrari will use all it's know-how gained with this platform which is an evolution of the FF and apply much of it to the new FUV. I'm convinced that the design of the Purosangue is the part that is giving now Ferrari's development team more headaches because they have not an easy dilema. To keep up with the expectancy that has been created by Ferrari the Purosangue design has to be appealing but different from anything that exists and that means more or less a new concept. Revolutionary or very innovative designs always carry a big risk and in the case of a new Ferrari concept the risk is even bigger because anything that will be short from excellent could be a "fiasco" just in the sense that Ferrari hasn't been able to solve the circle quadrature.
Very true, Mário! I fully agree. It will be very interesting to see which design philosophy and approach Ferrari will take. I'm not an expert in these matters, far from it. But my better half has a degree in design and the little I understand about this subject, I got it from her. You may prioritize design and hurt function a bit. You also may prioritize function above all, and most likely you'll end up hurting the design. Every design that comes of age has to rightly balance these two variables: form and function. There aren't necessarily enemies and if well balanced by a world-class designer, function won't hurt design and design won't be hopelessly deprived of function. It may even complement it. Ferrari say they will make a complete reinterpretation and revolution of the SUV concept and design. I do not believe this to be possible, it will be nothing more than a marketing slogan in my humble opinion. But the main dilemma among several others may be this: will Ferrari prioritize design and end up with a useless SUV offroad with risible capabilities (very powerful for all intents and purposes yes, but an SUV should also be able to do more than climb a city sidewalk), or will they actually embrace the notion that to build an effective or at the very least competent all-rounder vehicle, they'll sacrifice design a bit and make it with decent ground clearance for instance? I know very few SUV owners (regardless of manufacturer or price tag) ever take their cars to the mountains, mud, sand or extreme offroad routes. But regardless of it you want to take your SUV to the countryside, risk scratching it, get it all dirty with mud and go over potholes, salty mountain slush, sand dunes or not, shouldn't the vehicle be capable of handling it and allow you the choice? Just how much offroad genes will Ferrari be willing to fit into their new SUV? Will it be above all a design and fashion statement or will they take the SUV concept seriously? The more SUV-ish it will be, the less sporty it will be and vice-versa. I wonder how Ferrari will also juggle and balance these two directly opposite variables. A lot of how the car will feel and look will have to do with finding the right balance between two (or more) conflicting variables. Just like in a delicious recipe of your favorite dish. Ferrari will come into the SUV market extremely late: Lamborghini, Bentley, Rolls-Royce and Maserati (to name a few) are already there. While that may be a downside in terms of marketing, it may prove an advantage in terms of design. Although this new path Ferrari is pioneering won't produce a car that I'll be interested in buying (a Ferrari hybrid SUV? I can't get passed that!), I'm very much interested to see how Ferrari will pull this one off. Kindest regards, Nuno.
This year Ferrari has been testing three different GTC4's mules, one black and one white using the same plate number and pictured at Maranello, and one with full camouflage using a different plate number and pictured at Nurburgring. The mules pictured at Maranello both seem to have lifted suspensions but the one at Nurburgring looks pretty standard suspension wise and has also been seen testing the wheels transducers. Lots of testing seem to be going on. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thank you for the suggestion but we suspect that some of these are travestied GTC4's that they are using to develop the Purosangue.
Nothing particular But they have declared making an increasing number of special editions as a way to increase profitability So why not a VS
