The tea leaves have spoken, and we can now read it, clear as day. Ferrari is building an SUV. We got confirmation — yet again — from FCA boss Sergio Marchionne, only this time, Marchionne confirmed that the SUV is arriving by 2019 and that it’s going to be the fastest of its kind in the world. Did you read that, Lamborghini? The Prancing Horse has its eyes set on the Urus, and it’s galloping to take the proverbial bull’s mantle.

The Ferrari SUV has to be the industry’s worst-kept secret these days. We’ve already heard numerous confirmations from people in-the-know, including CEO Sergio Marchionne himself. But it’s still jarring, isn’t it? We excused Lamborghini from the same thought because it actually has a history in the segment with the LM002. We could even come to grips with Bentley and Rolls-Royce because super-luxury SUVs fit with their brand’s identities. But Ferrari? We really didn’t think this day would come.

But here we are, talking about with full certainty. Marchionne previously said that the Ferrari SUV “will look like whatever a Ferrari utility vehicle needs to look like,” before adding that “it has to drive like a Ferrari.” Fair enough. Now, Marchionne is saying that the SUV will arrive sooner than we expected it. When asked by Auto Express about the SUV’s timetable, Marchionne indicated that the model would hit the market “probably by the end of 2019, or the beginning of 2020.” Do the math, and that’s two years from now -- far sooner than our initial understanding of 2021 or 2022.

To add fuel to an already simmering fire, Marchione revealed that he’s already seen the car, or at least the early stages of its development. “We are working on the vehicle, but it’s not finished,” he said. “They’re just mock-up bodies just now. But they look good.”

Whether you’re a fan of this decision or not — we know many tifosis who are up-in-arms over this — a Ferrari SUV seemed inevitable a long time ago. Crossovers and SUVs have become the most profitable segments in the industry. Even premium models like the Porsche Cayenne Turbo, Jaguar F-Pace, and Bentley Bentayga have been overwhelmingly received by customers from all over the world. Now that the Urus is on its way, the thirst for more “super SUVs” is just as likely to happen. That’s the market Ferrari’s shooting for, and for whatever reasons skeptics may have about the move, it’s still a smart one from a business perspective.

So circle those calendars, people. The Ferrari SUV is coming by the turn of the decade. Given that timetable, expect a world debut to happen much sooner than that. Could we see it by the of this year, then? Cross those fingers we do.

References

Read our full speculative review on the 2020 Ferrari SUV.

Read more Ferrari news.