LEVANTE CROSSOVER WILL TAKE ON THE LIKES OF PORSCHE’S CAYENNE
Maserati’s first crossover vehicle, the Levante, is expected to make its global debut at next year’s Detroit car show.
The Italian marque’s SUV will debut at the show, which starts on January 12, according to Autovisie magazine. It will then go into production from March.
The Levante will be strictly a five-seater affair. Balancing practicality, luxury and sporty handling, it is envisaged as a competitor to the Porsche Cayenne and Range Rover Sport.
The Dutch publication believes the Levante will be offered with a diesel engine, two Ferrari-built petrol motors and a plug-in hybrid variant further down the track.
If its sources are correct, the V6 petrol engine will be offered in 260kW and 335kW forms, while the V8 will crank out 430kW-plus of power.
Four-wheel drive will initially be standard.
Autovisie believes the Levante will be based on the same underpinnings as the Maserati Ghibli and Quattroporte, although it will be built at a different factory.
Earlier reports indicated the Levante will use the “Giorgio” rear- and all-wheel drive platform that will serve as the basis of Alfa Romeo’s upcoming RWD challenger to the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
Maserati expects that, by 2017, the Levante will account for around half of the company’s annual sales.
-CarAdvice.com.au