Currently reading: Maserati boss rules out Porsche Macan rival

Maserati won't build an SUV smaller than the upcoming Levante, boss Harald Wester confirms, because it doesn't want to clash with other Fiat-Chrysler brands

Maserati boss Harald Wester has ruled out building a Porsche Macan rival to sit below its upcoming Levante large SUV.

The Levante will be launched at the 2016 Detroit motor show and go on sale later in the year. Reports had suggested Maserati could consider expanding its SUV portfolio to a smaller car using Fiat Group technology, but Wester said that he wouldn’t launch a car that would compete with the mooted Alfa Romeo SUV and Jeep products.

Read our thorough road test of the Porsche Macan here - you may want one on your driveway

“We are an extremely complex multi-brand group and to have everyone doing a little bit of everything is not the right way,” said Wester. “We have nameplates that cover that ground, or that plan to cover that ground.

“In this business, you should never say 'no' in a dogmatic way, but my personal opinion is that Maserati wouldn’t want to go below the Levante in size.”

The Levante will be crucial in helping Maserati to reach its sales targets to 75,000 units by 2018. Around 3000 of those will be in the UK.

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Porsche's 'junior Cayenne' promises and delivers on its dynamic and performance prowess to be be the most sporting SUV of its size. However, the market has changed with the newrivals threatening to challenge the Macan's crown, so does it have the stomach for a fight?

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