Maserati will reportedly expand its engine lineup offered on the Levante with the introduction of a new range-topper, using the twin-turbo V8 engine found on the Quattroporte.

The 3.8-liter unit produces 523 HP in its current configuration, and since the Italian brand’s first ever SUV shares the same platform as the Ghibli and Quattroporte, Autoblog asked the head of the company’s vehicle programs, Davide Danesin, whether it would fit in the Levante: “Yes, it fits, and we have a prototype already.

However, there’s a long journey between a prototype and a production version, but if the Levante V8 will be eventually green lighted by the Trident’s officials, then it will enter an exclusive segment that has the Porsche Cayenne Turbo, with its 520 HP, the Turbo S, coming with 570 HP, or the Range Rover Sport SVR, joined eventually by what is expected to become the world’s fastest SUV, the Hellcat-powered Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk.

The Maserati Levante comes with a 3.0-liter bi-turbo V6 engine, available in two outputs, 350 HP and 430 HP, connected to an 8-speed automatic transmission that sends power to the all-wheel drive system. The SUV will go on sale in the US at the end of August, but dealers have already started taking orders this month.

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