Photo: SB-Medien
Upper-echelon automakers such as Maserati and Bentley have confirmed the future existence of a new SUV, while rivals like Lamborghini and Aston Martin have been in and out of the rumor mill in regards to such a model. Automotive News breaks down where each automaker stands with regards to the launch of these high-luxury and high-performance SUVs.
According to this report, the first to the party will be the Maserati Levante. Due out late next year globally and early 2016 for U.S. buyers, the Levante will share its platform with the Maserati Ghibli rather than the Jeep Grand Cherokee, which was the original plan considered for this model. Confirming this, recent spy shots show an oddly cobbled together Ghibli (shown above) out testing. Once in production, Maserati will look to sell around 20,000 units per year.
Following the introduction of the Levante, Bentley will be the next to test the SUV waters with its entrant that may or may not be called the Falcon. Production of this model will launch in 2016 with a W-12 engine and then the following year with a plug-in hybrid powertrain. Bentley is counting on this SUV to sell about 3,000 units globally with about a third coming from the U.S.
Riding on the same platform as the Bentley Falcon (and the next-gen Audi Q7), the Lamborghini Urus is expected to debut in either 2017 or 2018, although the reports adds that the Volkswagen Group has yet to give an official green light to this project. In similarly unknown waters, an Aston Martin SUV could debut around 2021 sharing a platform with the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class or S-Class.
What does all this mean? If you’re in the market for an SUV and you have a lot of money, there will soon be plenty of options to join the likes of the Porsche Cayenne, Range Rover and Cadillac Escalade.
Following the introduction of the Levante, Bentley will be the next to test the SUV waters with its entrant that may or may not be called the Falcon. Production of this model will launch in 2016 with a W-12 engine and then the following year with a plug-in hybrid powertrain. Bentley is counting on this SUV to sell about 3,000 units globally with about a third coming from the U.S.
Riding on the same platform as the Bentley Falcon (and the next-gen Audi Q7), the Lamborghini Urus is expected to debut in either 2017 or 2018, although the reports adds that the Volkswagen Group has yet to give an official green light to this project. In similarly unknown waters, an Aston Martin SUV could debut around 2021 sharing a platform with the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class or S-Class.
What does all this mean? If you’re in the market for an SUV and you have a lot of money, there will soon be plenty of options to join the likes of the Porsche Cayenne, Range Rover and Cadillac Escalade.
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