Maserati's luxury SUV will make its world debut at the upcoming Geneva International Motor Show in Geneva, Switzerland.

The first SUV in the brand's more than one hundred years of history, the new Levante completes the existing range of sedans and sports cars, extending the offering together with the Quattroporte, Ghibli, GranTurismo and GranCabrio models.

The Levante’s design features clear associations with the Maserati brand and its absolutely Italian character: the aggressive front includes new, tapered headlights separated into two units, with the upper headlight unit connected to the radiator grille. Maserati's design signature is clearly visible on the sides: the three iconic air vents on the front fender, the trapezoidal C-pillar with the “Saetta” logo and the large, frameless door windows. The rear is dominated by the very slanted back window and a streamlined shape, both typical of a high-performance sports car.

At the 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. One very impressive strong point of the new SUV relates to the standard contents supplied on all versions: sophisticated electronic suspensions with controlled damping and air springs which can be set on several levels, “Q4” intelligent all-wheel drive and 8-speed automatic transmission specially calibrated for the SUV.

When it comes to propulsion units, the Levante is equipped with petrol and diesel engines that are all Euro6-compliant.

The Levante is built at the Mirafiori plant in Turin. The first cars have already come off the assembly line and the market launch is planned for this spring in Europe, to be followed by the rest of the world.

Italian luxury car manufacturer Maserati was established in 1914 in Bologna by Alfieri Maserati and his brothers. Today, the company's headquarters and main production location are in Modena. A second state-of-the-art production location, based on the highest quality standards of the World Class Manufacturing (WCM) concept, was inaugurated in Grugliasco, near Turin, in 2013. Maserati has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat – now Fiat Chrysler Automobiles – since 1993.

Its emblem, the trident, was inspired by the fountain on the Piazza del Nettuno in the centre of Bologna. It is a symbol that ties together the brothers, their hometown, and the artistry and craftsmanship for which Bologna and Emilia-Romagna are known.

Through major investments into product development, production facilities as well as its worldwide dealer network, Maserati has hit a turning point. In addition to the successful GranTurismo and GranCabrio ranges, the latest generation of Maserati’s flagship sedan, the Quattroporte, and the new sports executive sedan, the Ghibli, provide the cornerstones to the brand’s strategy of producing some 75,000 units annually and gaining a significantly strengthened presence in the global luxury car market. 

For 2014, Maserati posted a 136 per cent increase in shipments to 36,500 vehicles, driven by the success of the new Quattroporte and Ghibli models. Its major markets include the US (2014: 14,690, plus 110 per cent), China (2014: 9,400, plus 148 per cent), Europe (2014: 6,360, plus 153 per cent) as well as Asia-Pacific (2014: 4,000, plus 206 per cent) and the Middle East (2014: 2,050, plus 144 per cent).  

The 2016 Geneva International Motor Show will be held from March 3 to 13 at the Palexpo convention centre.