While the SUV may have been born of American culture, it’s not just Americans who love their SUVs. Every manufacturer from every continent and country… [Read More]The post 2016 New York Auto Show: Maserati Levante appeared first on Pursuitist.

While the SUV may have been born of American culture, it’s not just Americans who love their SUVs. Every manufacturer from every continent and country is making them. Why" Because they sell. And at the high end, they sell at very healthy volumes for very healthy profits. BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, Audi, Lexus and Bentley all make six-figure SUVs that sell very well, thank you very much.Now, into this crowded market steps Maserati with the new Levante. Making its North American debut at the New York Auto Show this week, I sat down with Maserati Chief Exterior Designer, Giovanni Ribotta, to get the inside story on the creation of Levante, how they expect it to be different from other SUVs in the category, and what it means for the future of the company.At the beginning of the process, Ribotta said they took, “a GT approach to Levante. We had to keep the Maserati identity by combining SUV convenience with our sport brand heritage.” You can see that in the long hood, cab back design with its steeply angled windscreen and tapered rear end. As he said, “We tried to put more Alfieri into it.” referencing the beautiful GT that appeared at Geneva two years ago.“It’s a design born from cont...