It has been confirmed that the Maserati Levante SUV will debut at the Geneva Motor Show 2016 next March.

Initial speculation about the Levante SUV indicated that it would be based around the architecture used by the Jeep Grand Cherokee. However, it has since been confirmed that the Maserati Levante will utilise the same platform as the current Quattroporte luxury sedan. When launched, the Levante will rival the likes of the Porsche Cayenne, Range Rover Sport and BMW X5.

The Levante SUV will be produced at the company’s Miafori plant in Italy. That comes despite the fact that Maserati was previously planning on producing the car in Detroit in its push to reach 50,000 annual sales by 2015. Although that target will no longer be reached, the Levante will play a large role in boosting sales for the Italian firm.

Due to the Maserati Levante’s underpinnings being shared with the Quattroporte, it will be available with the same powertrains. That means it will be offered with a selection of V6 and V8 engines with the range-topping twin-turbo V8 likely to deliver in excess of 500 hp. The Levante will also come standard with all-wheel drive.

While speaking with Autocar recently, Maserati marketing director James Cowan revealed that it will become the marque’s highest seller in a range of markets.

“It will be our biggest seller in many markets and will attract almost universally new customers to the brand. The key factor is that it is a global vehicle – it will sell well in Europe, the US and China, and that gives us a broad base to approach sales from.”