A low-displacement, hybrid V6 engine currently under development by Ferrari for use in its entry-level models could reportedly make a tire-peeling 700-plus horsepower.
In 2018 former Ferrari CEO Sergio Marchionne confirmed that the automaker was developing a hybrid powertrain, which Car reports will be the brand’s new turbocharged V6. Reportedly due for a reveal in May, the Ferrari V6 is said to be derived from the 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 used in the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio sports sedan. Maranello reportedly chose to keep the 2.9-liter displacement in the name of limboing under 3,000 cc displacement taxes in some of the company’s most important markets, such as China.
Performance potential from the combustion engine alone is said to total 610 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque, or 105 more horsepower than the Alfa—but no additional torque. Augmenting this V6 with an electric motor, as Ferrari will reportedly do, is said to boost the engine to 723 horsepower, and nearly 800 pound-feet of torque, though the electric motor’s primary role will allegedly be to fill in torque gaps left open before the turbochargers spool.
Alleged uses of this engine are said to include an upcoming entry-level Ferrari sports car, rumored to revive the “Dino” nameplate, or its upcoming “Purosangue” crossover. Current Ferrari CEO Louis Camilleri formally denied in 2018 any possibility of this V6 appearing in a model named “Dino,” though this does not count the V6 out from use in this model, which reportedly could be called the 486 instead.
Ferrari’s Vice President of Marketing Enrico Galliera confirmed earlier this year that the company has plans to launch five new models in 2019, one of which was the F8 Tributo supercar, and none of which will be the Purosangue crossover. If Car‘s prediction that the V6 will be revealed in May is correct, then that month may also be a good time to expect one of the said new models—either a sports car or one of three grand tourers—to break cover too.