he model that has relaunched De Tomaso at the Geneva motor show is this Pininfarina-designed BMW 5-series GT-rivalling luxury crossover concept, dubbed SLS.
Former Fiat marketing executive Gian Mario Rossignolo will present De Tomaso’s new SLS (meaning sport luxury sedan) at the Geneva show and the Italian is also planning to launch new coupé and luxury saloon models.
De Tomaso went bankrupt seven years ago. Rossignolo purchased it from a bankruptcy court in November 2009.
He signed a deal with Pininfarina a month later to rent its Grugliasco plant near Turin, having previously failed to acquire Bertone’s coachbuliding facilities. The SLS, which will be renamed for production, is going to be put together at the Grugliasco plant from 2012, with Rossignolo planning an annual production run of 3000 units.
The plant has an assembly line, body shop and paint shop and employs 900 people. Planned production of the luxury saloon is 3000 units, while 2000 units of the coupé will be made.
All will be built on an aluminium chassis using an innovative construction technique known as Univis, full details of which will be revealed at Geneva by Rossignolo.
In production, the all-wheel-drive SLC will be offered with 542bhp V8 and 296bhp V6 petrol engines and a 247bhp V6 diesel.
Rossignolo is investing 116 million euros (£98m) in the project. The LC is pictured here in these teaser images ahead of its full reveal at Geneva.
Thanks to: Autocar
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