It all started with the Kubang back in 2011, Maserati's first attempt at building an SUV concept. Although it took a few years, the Italian automaker never gave up its quest to produce an SUV. Jump ahead to today and the all-new Levante has officially arrived. Speaking with Maserati design chief, Marco Tecone, last week at Geneva, we were told the Levante styling, most notably its aggressive front grille, will set the pace for upcoming models for the foreseeable future.

In fact, the Ghibli sedan already prominently features that trident-inspired piece of metal. We first saw Tecone's design vision back in 2013 at this same show with the debut of the Alfieri concept, which won him numerous design awards. In fact, Tecone told us a production-spec Alfieri may not be too far off, though we've heard earlier rumors it'll arrive in 2018. While that still remains uncertain, what is certain is the Levante's striking design. Tecone described it like this: "The front end is aggressive while everything behind it is elegant, refined...imagine someone wearing a suit with a pair of sneakers." So why did Maserati build the Levante before the Alfieri?

Simple, because the majority of buyers want SUVs instead of grand tourers. Based on our brief design tour of the Levante with its creator, we have no doubt Maserati has a hit on its hands. Will the Levante lure away Ranger Rover, Porsche Cayenne and Jaguar F-Pace buyers? Maybe, but it doesn't really have to; Maserati is a brand that sells itself and the Levante is exactly what it needs right now.