8 Maserati Levante SUV

Wealthy customers seeking a prestige SUV may add a Maserati to their consideration list from this spring.

The Italian luxury brand has now revealed the production version of its forthcoming Levante model, the first SUV in the brand’s history.

The Levante will be an opportunity for the Maserati UK dealer network, which expanded in recent years to drive increased sales of the Ghibli, to battle the likes of Range Rover and Porsche for conquest customers.

All Levante models will have all-wheel drive, electronic suspension with controlled damping and air springs, and an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

The engines offered include twin-turbo V6 petrol and a top-spec V8 petrol, plus V6 turbodiesels. A plug-in hybrid is expected to be added before the end of the decade.

“At a technical level, the Levante's chassis is designed to combine the outstanding on-road performance typical of every Maserati with unrivalled handling even on very low-grip surfaces and an excellent off-road performance and ride,” said a spokesman.

The Maserati Levante, which is due to be shown at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, is being built at the Mirafiori plant in Turin.