New smaller Maserati SUV – based on the Alfa Stelvio SUV – on the way

A new smaller Maserati SUV, based on the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, will join the Levante by 2020 as Maserati chases big sales from its SUV range.

Porsche did it almost a decade ago by delivering a sporty SUV with the Cayenne and supercharging their sales in the process.

But it took Maserati more than a decade to realise it should probably do the same too and, despite weak sales recently in China, the Maserati Levante SUV has helped Maserati’s sales rise by 50 per cent so far this year.

No doubt buoyed by that, FCA boss Sergio Marchionne has revealed Maserati will follow Porsche’s lead by delivering their take on the Macan – Porsche’s second, and even more successful smaller SUV – by delivering a baby brother for the Levante by 2020.

The new smaller Maserati SUV won’t start with a blank sheet, but will instead use the underpinnings of the Alfa Romeo Stelvio to deliver a new SUV for Maserati, and aim to drive sales up to the 80,000 mark a year, and earnings to £1 billion.

But despite taking the Alfa Stelvio as the starting point for the new Maserati SUV, it seems Maserati will be delivering a new powerplant for their smaller SUV.

What exactly that will be, from the Ferrari V6 in the Levante to a hybrid or BEV, remains to be seen, but with the world showing no signs of falling out of love with SUVs it’s a very sensible route for Maserati to take.