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| Ferrari NV unveiled |
Ferrari NV unveiled its long-awaited 390,000-euro ($390,195) Purosangue crossover that will haul the supercar maker into a new era of broader appeal.
The company’s most utilitarian model in its 75-year history — with four doors, four seats and a 473-liter (125-gallon) trunk — will hit showrooms next year. While heavily geared over four years of development to meet Ferrari’s track-worthy credentials, the Purosangue represents a break from the manufacturer’s low-slung racing machines and dispels doubts it would ever produce a versatile vehicle.
Ferrari exudes confidence about the Purosangue fitting that description, and is offering a surprise answer to one question: So is it a sport utility vehicle or not?
“Please don’t call it an SUV, because it isn’t,” Chief Executive Officer Benedetto Vigna told reporters in Maranello, northern Italy. “It’s a Ferrari.”
Vigna’s comment indicates the world’s best-known performance-car maker is still coming to terms with a segment some prancing-horse purists believe should be verboten for the brand. While crossovers and SUVs tend to be less agile than what Ferrari drivers are used to, the almost 225,000-euro Lamborghini Urus and 206,800-euro Bentley Bentayga have been well-received. The Purosangue beats both on acceleration, racing to 100 kilometers (62 miles) per hour in 3.3 seconds.
