Ferrari’s CEO, Sergio Marchionne, recently stated at the 2017 Q2 press conference that the Italian supercar maker would probably reinvent the concept of a vehicle with utilitarian features but with a style that is more in tune with Ferrari. This suggested that some recent rumours of a Ferrari SUV may be true.

However, a Ferrari spokesman said, “With reference to recent speculation in the international press, Ferrari will not be launching an SUV.”

Last month, Ferrari’s chief marketing and commercial officer, Enrico Galliera, told our sister publication Autocar UK: “We are not producing an SUV, because an SUV is not a sports car – it can be fast, but it’s not a sports car. We are not producing a four-door because, while a four-door can be fast, it’s not a sports car.”

He added: “Ferrari has to remain consistent, doing what we know to do, which is delivering cars that are able to deliver emotion – sportscars.”

The model, expected to launch in 2021, would rival cars such as the Lamborghini Urus, Rolls-Royce Cullinan and Aston Martin DBX.

Competitors Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce and Aston Martin are already far into development of their respective SUVs, while Bentley’s Bentayga accounts for a significant portion of its sales.