Super Luxury SUVs: New lifeline for automakers’ growth

PORSCHE should be credited with breaking the purists’ taboo that a sports or a luxury car company should not venture into SUV territory. In 2003, Porsche had the vision to be the first to offer a super SUV — the Cayenne — against panning by media and enthusiasts alike who accused the company at the time of besmirching the image of a racing brand.
Twelve years later and Cayenne is the best-selling model in the Porsche lineup. The Porsche numbers are compelling: The Cayenne has nearly doubled the brand’s sales worldwide. In 2012, the company sold nearly 60,000 of the $48,850 (and up to $110,000) cars and sales may surge a further 40 percent by 2017, according to the research firm IHS Automotive.
Now, most luxury and sports cars have joined the bandwagon. Every company is looking for growth and the super SUV route is the only clear path to success. The market has confirmation from Bentley, Lamborghini, Maserati, Jaguar and even Rolls Royce. Some of these companies resisted for a long time — to their cost — joining this segment.
The super SUV is a segment above the full size SUV which started some 15 years ago with the BMW X5. The original full-size luxury SUVs are the Jeep Grand Cherokees and the Range Rover. These were joined by Cadillac Escalade, the Lexus LX, the Toyota Land Cruiser, Nissan Patrol, the Mercedes-Benz M Class, the Audi Q7 and Infiniti QX80.
Super SUVs are popular in every global market, especially in China and the Middle East. Most will sell for more than $200,000 and demand is likely to outstrip supply. The luxury car market is buoyant at the moment and most companies have achieved record sales and profits. They found a niche to invest their profits in the new super SUV segment.
These are the most prominent super SUV that are expected in the market in the next few years:
• Rolls Royce Cullinan: While no technical details have been announced for the new Rolls Royce SUV, the name Cullinan has been reported. It alludes to the Cullinan diamond, the largest diamond ever found. The diamond, discovered in 1905 in South Africa, was named after Sir Thomas Cullinan, the owner of the mine. The Great Star of Africa is the largest polished gem cut of the stone, and sits on top of St. Edward’s Scepter among England’s crown jewels. The name was disclosed by Ian Robertson, head of sales and marketing at BMW, who said it is a code at this stage and may not stick. The Cullinan is also likely to share the Phantom’s lightweight aluminum space frame, which indicates that it could also house the luxury sedan’s V12 engine. The company’s management announced the new SUV in an open letter and the move came in response to Bentley moving forward with its own super SUV.
• Bentley Bentayga: This vehicle is due in the markets in 2016 priced at about $200,000. It is currently undertaking testing in various parts of the world. It is expected that the first production model would be displayed in the Dubai Motor Show next November. The car will be built at Crew in England and not in Slovakia along the Audi Q7 which shares its platform. The name Bentayga comes from a combination of Taiga, which is the world’s largest snow forest that covers the entire northern hemisphere and Roque Bentayga, a rugged peak at the Canary Island. The Bentayga will feature a petrol-electric powertrain. The top model will have the W12 6.0 liter engine with some models coming with the 4.0 liter V8 engines. Plug-in hybrids may be introduced as of 2017.
• Jaguar F-Pace: This is the production version of the C-X17 concept. It will go on sale in 2016. The company is offering the F-pace as a performance crossover and the name indicates some alignment with the sporty F-Type while distancing it from the rugged 4x4 produced by Land Rover. “We received such an overwhelmingly positive response to the C-X17 concept car that we just had to make it a reality,” said Ian Callum, Jaguar’s Director of Design. “The Jaguar F-Pace, inspired by the F-Type, represents a perfectly judged balance of style, performance and practicality. It offers a unique combination of Jaguar sports car inspired exterior design. Full technical details for the Jaguar F-Pace won’t be released until later this year.
• Maserati Levante: This is the final production model, expected later this year. The model was displayed before as a concept called Kubang. It will compete with the Porsche Cayenne and the BMW X5. The company's marketing director, James Cowan, described the Levante as a "game-changer." "It will be our biggest seller in many markets and will attract almost universally new customers to the brand," The Maserati Levante SUV will be built at Fiat factory in Mirafiori, Italy and may be built alongside an Alfa Romeo SUV. The Levante will offer a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 with 410 bhp and a 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 with 530 bhp.