We all know Ferrari has lost its shame and is working on an SUV, but here's the first hint of it with this video of what's most likely a Purosangue test mule. Yes, Ferrari Purosangue is the terrible name reportedly being given to the upcoming vehicle that Ferrari will not want you to call an "SUV." But what we're looking at here is the body of a GTC4Lusso with some obvious SUV hints. Just look at the ground clearance and wheel gap on this thing. That's clearly not typical Ferrari style.

The video was captured by SupercarsNews on YouTube, and is actually quite comical too. As soon as the driver of the Ferrari notices the videographer standing by the fence, he jumps on the brakes and backs out of there behind the cover of trees. All was for naught, however, because we got to see and hear the test mule anyways.

Whether you like it or not, Ferrari's highly controversial SUV is well on its way to production. The Purosangue won't be the firm's first four-seater; its family tree is full of luscious 2+2s. But it will be the first high-riding model with the Prancing Horse emblem on its nose. Conquering this territory is presenting the brand with unique engineering challenges.

Independent from Fiat since 2016, Ferrari isn't exempt from the need to save money through economies of scale, so it will build the Purosangue on a modular platform shared with other upcoming front-engined cars. The SUV will offer a height-adjustable suspension, and an available plug-in hybrid powertrain, according to British magazine Autocar. The publication added the gasoline-electric setup will be built around a new, twin-turbocharged V6, but a flagship model with V12 power will likely slot at the very top of the range. Mid-range model might use a V8.

The design brief Ferrari gave engineers and designers was relatively simple: The Purosangue needs to stand out from the other luxurious SUVs on the market. It can't be a copy of the Lamborghini Urus, the Bentley Bentayga, the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, or whatever Maybach is cooking up. Michael Leiters, the company's chief technical officer, thinks his team has nailed it.

"I think we've found a concept and a package which is on one side a real SUV, and will convince SUV customers to buy it, but on the other side there's a huge differentiation of concept to existing SUVs," he enigmatically told Autocar. He stopped short of providing more concrete details, including his definition of a real SUV. We're not expecting the Purosangue to follow a Jeep Wrangler down the Rubicon Trail, or to outpace a WRC car on a rally stage, but it should be capable of light off-roading.

The Ferrari Purosangue is tentatively scheduled to make its debut in 2022, meaning it might arrive for the 2023 model year, and pricing will almost certainly start north of $300,000. It's one of 15 new models the firm plans to release by 2023 in a bid to fatten its profit margins without diluting its image

Ferrari has lost its shame and is working on an SUV

It's one of 15 new models the firm plans to release by 2023 in a bid to fatten its profit margins without diluting its image

The Ferrari Purosangue crossover is only months away from the assembly line, so says the Italian automaker's 2021 annual report. In the report's section on 2022 guidance, we're informed, "Ferrari Daytona SP3 and Ferrari Purosangue will commence production in 2022 with deliveries starting in 2023." After trotting out mules draped in a mashup of Ferrari and Maserati body panels, prototypes in heavily camouflaged production bodywork have been caught around Maranello. Based on the roofline we imagine we can see under the masking panels in video from YouTube user Varryx, it appears the Purosangue will wear a very fast rear profile. That lengthy span from the B-pillar to the rear end could make for roomy rear quarters; luggage space under that sloping backlight might take a hit, though.

Up front, the Purosangue's motivation continues to be a mystery; basically, every powertrain Ferrari makes has been a rumored candidate. A version with the 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 hybrid powertrain from the 296 GTB could make the Ferrari Utility Vehicle (FUV) the most powerful OEM crossover in existence, splitting the difference of the Aston Martin DBX707's 697 horsepower and 663 pound-feet of torque with 819 hp and 546 lb-ft. There are 3.9-liter and 4.0-liter V8s to choose from, with and without hybrid assistance, and a naturally aspirated V12, too. Just employing the 296 GTB's V6 mill without electric assistance would provide a fulsome 654 horsepower. As we see it, there are no wrong answers here. If it does emerge as a hybrid in initial guise, a bigger battery providing substantial electric-only driving range would be nice, though.

Not that Ferrari will be concerned with its new model's reception no matter what's under the hood, the luxury house coming off its best year ever with 11,155 cars sold in 2021. In a world where an electric Volkswagen crossover is still being sold with five-figure markups, we expect Purosangue production will be sold out immediately and for years. Last year's Ferrari sales reflected an increase of more than 22% on 2020, more than 10% on the pre-pandemic year of 2019. Sales of 12-cylinder models dipped 16.1 percent with the departure of the 812 Superfast, but the V8 range was stood ready to remedy the hiccup. Profit margin on the roughly 4.8 billion euros in revenue was an envy-making 35.9%. There's more in the works as well, with brand CEO Benedetto Vigna telling investors and analysts to expect announcements during Capital Markets Day, taking place in Maranello on June 16.

Ferrari has released a teaser image of its first crossover SUV, and it's a surprisingly revealing one. The front end of the 2023 Ferrari Purosangue is shown quite plainly, and it doesn't look too bad.

The nose looks very Ferrari-esque with narrow headlights peeking out from small openings in the curvy nose. The bumper has two large grilles on each side, surely feeding some heat exchangers or cooling some other part of the car. And the hood has a large but graceful bulge down the middle over the engine.

Ferrari didn't give a specific reveal date for the Purosangue, but it did confirm that it will be revealed this year. A previous report has said that production will also begin this year, with deliveries coming next year.

Spy photos of Purosangue test mules have shown classic front-engine Ferrari proportions (or at least as close as possible with four doors) with a long, low front end and a short rear. The mules have also looked very low, almost more like wagons than SUVs. Engine details have been scarce, but Ferrari has a large pool of potential powertrains to pick from, including hybrid V6s and of course V12s. We suspect all-wheel-drive will be standard, though it's hard to say if it will be a more conventional system, or something like the dual transmission setup from the FF and GTC4Lusso.

In Ferrari's press release announcing a home for a "new" V12 engine, the Italians in Maranello didn't mention the coming SUV expected to wear the Purosangue name. But they did reference their "new thoroughbred's bloodline," and "thoroughbred" is English for the Italian word "Purosangue."

The news confirms what nearly everyone expected, and everyone else hoped, that Ferrari's latest family offering would get V12 power. The engine likely isn't all new, but an evolution of the F140 V12 that has powered other models in the stable since 2002. It will probably pick up from the 6.5-liter unit from the 812 Superfast and move the game on from there. Since the company's V12 has been making well over 700 horsepower for years now, we have reason to believe the Purosangue could steal the crown of most powerful ICE SUV from the Aston Martin DBX707. Australian outlet Drive wrote "rumors suggest upward of 610KW," which would be more than 818 horsepower.

Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna told Reuters, "We've tested several options, it was clear that the V12, for the performance and driving experience it could provide, was the right option for the market."

The powertrain menu will include other engine options, at least one of them part of a hybrid setup, and a battery-electric model figured to show in two or three years. We have to wait to find out if that V12 will be part of a hybrid system, perhaps hooked up to the same e-AWD system as on the SF90 Stradale, with ICE units plugged in as desired. Ferrari has 3.9-liter and 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8s, and a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 at work elsewhere in the lineup. Ferrari will say more about its electrification plans at a capital markets day on June 16.

Based on spy videos and leaked images from the factory, it's stretched wagon form looks more like an evolution of the GT4Lusso — which started life as the FF in 2011 — than a standard high-riding SUV. It will be amazing for school and ski runs, probably not prepared for off-road work beyond a gravel road. We'll know more when the Purosangue launches later this year.