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Ferrari Purosangue SUV test mule spied in video

We all know Ferrari has lost its shame and is working on an SUV, but here's the first hint of it with this video of what's most likely a Purosangue test mule. Yes, Ferrari Purosangue is the terrible name reportedly being given to the upcoming vehicle that Ferrari will not want you to call an "SUV." But what we're looking at here is the body of a GTC4Lusso with some obvious SUV hints. Just look at the ground clearance and wheel gap on this thing. That's clearly not typical Ferrari style. The video was captured by SupercarsNews on YouTube, and is actually quite comical too. As soon as the driver of the Ferrari notices the videographer standing by the fence, he jumps on the brakes and backs out of there behind the cover of trees. All was for naught, however, because we got to see and hear the test mule anyways. We don't imagine the Purosangue SUV/crossover thing will end up looking like this when it comes out. It is the first physical "proof" of the Ferrari utility vehicle, though, with a launch sometime early in the next decade forthcoming. Unfortunately, the quality of the video is on the poorer side of things, so it's difficult to pick much out beyond the high ride height. The sound of a modern Ferrari engine is evidently there — we wouldn't doubt this car being offered with an electrified powertrain too eventually. There's no information on where this video was shot, but chances are the videographer is right next to Ferrari's home in Maranello with this kind of a vehicle out and about. So go ahead and watch the video above -- it's a pretty weird sight to see a lifted Ferrari. Related video: Rumormill Spy Photos Ferrari Crossover SUV Luxury Performance

Kimi Raikkonen returns to Ferrari

The so-called "silly season" in Formula One conjured up all kinds of rumors, and most of them revolved around Kimi Raikkonen. Would the 2007 World Champion stay at Lotus? Would he switch to Red Bull to replace Mark Webber? Would he return to Ferrari?
Well now we have the answer. Ferrari has confirmed that the Finn is heading back to Maranello, where he will partner with Fernando Alonso starting next season in a two-year deal. That means Felipe Massa, who has been at Ferrari since 2006 but has struggled to keep up the pace since his catastrophic crash in 2009, will need to find a new seat.
The announcement opens up a series of questions as a game of musical chairs commences. Where will Massa go? Who will fill Raikkonen's seat at Lotus? And will Alonso tolerate the team bringing in another former champion and serious contender to challenge his position as number one at the top team? We'll just have to wait and see, but the move in and of itself demonstrates a certain businesslike lack of personal emotion on Kimi's part, having been unceremoniously dumped by Ferrari three years ago to make way for Alonso. Head on down below for the rather Raikkonenly brief announcement.

Ferrari IPO may turn out to be good news for enthusiasts

Sergio Marchionne's strategy to spin off Ferrari from FCA and make the Italian automaker a publicly traded company has been met with ire from a vocal contingent of enthusiasts ever since rumors about the plan began to surface a few years ago. Some of these particularly pessimistic automotive pundits have voiced fears that with stockholders in the mix, it would not only spell the demise of the exclusive Italian supercar maker as we know it, but would in fact "ruin" the company. Call me dense, but I fail to see what the issue is. That isn't to say that I don't understand what's causing the fear. When profitability becomes a higher priority for a brand that's historically relied on exclusivity to keep its products in the highest echelons of desirability, there's a high potential for internal philosophical conflict. And then there are concerns about the sorts of products that Ferrari might develop that aren't the high-performance sports cars that the brand is known for. But individuals with those apprehensions seem to forget that Ferrari has already lent its name to a multitude of things that are not LaFerraris, 488 GTBs, or F12 Berlinettas, including clothing, headphones, and even laptops. But let's assume for a moment that the core anxiety is about future vehicles – including the unspeakable notion that Ferrari might develop an SUV. Why wouldn't Ferrari build an SUV, especially after seeing how incredibly successful that endeavor has been for Porsche? I think it's likely that Ferrari will put engineers to task creating some sort of crossover or high-rolling cruiser with room for the whole family at some point in the near future. And why wouldn't it, after seeing how incredibly successful that endeavor has been for Porsche? After all, the Cayenne accounted for more US sales in 2013 than the Boxster, Cayman, 911, and 918 combined, and it only gave up about a thousand units of sales last year to make room for the Macan crossover, the latter of which Porsche sold nearly as many of as it did Boxsters and Caymans. People want these vehicles, and they're willing to pay quite a bit of money for them. If we use Porsche's recent trajectory as a foreshadowing metric for what's in store for Ferrari, the future actually looks pretty good. After all, those SUV sales keep plenty of cash in Porsche's coffers for the low-volume projects that we enthusiasts love, like the 918 Spyder and the 911 GT3 RS.