Prancing Off-Road

The SUV trend has even caught on with Ferrari, which is evident with the introduction of the Purosangue. However, does a Ferrari of this type really make sense?

-  ISHAN RAGHAVA

The Purosangue has an interesting origin story - one that I had the privilege to witness first-hand. Ferrari, after denying for years that they were developing an 'SUV', finally invited us to Maranello in September 2022 to witness a global product reveal. While rumours were rife that this new product was an 'SUV', I had other reasons to be excited. You see, it was the first time that I had the opportunity to visit the Ferrari factory, the home of the Prancing Horse. Moreover, I was one of the select few in the world to witness the unveiling of a brandnew Ferrari.

Of course, like most recent Ferrari unveilings, the reveal of the Purosangue was also a very low-key event, shrouded in secrecy. Only a handful of people were invited to the event, and we were even asked to deposit our phones to prevent any premature leaks of the vehicle before the embargo was lifted. We were also told rather emphatically that the Purosangue is not an SUV (now you know why the word SUV was in quotes earlier in the story) and is definitely not meant for off-roading.

This begs the question - why build a vehicle in this body style? Well, I travelled to Dubai and experienced the Purosangue first-hand to discover its intended purpose and its target audience.

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