DeTomaso made a name for itself thirty years ago building shapely, powerful sports cars, but the brand’s revival apparently is hinged on luxury crossovers. The company recently showed its new SLC concept to Italian government officials prior to its debut at the Geneva Motor Show.
Supercars — particularly those like the old Mangusta and Pantera — aren’t exactly profitable ventures, so we’re not too surprised to see the new DeTomaso craft a luxury crossover. We do wish, however, that the SLC were a little more attractive. Designed by Pininfarina, the five-door’s shape is rather generic, roughly resembling an overweight BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo with an Audi-like front fascia.
The SLC’s appointments appear to be quite luxurious, with most surfaces trimmed in stitched leather. In a historic twist, DeTomaso raids American parts bins for some components — a number of parts within the cabin, including the gauge cluster, dashboard, and front door panels — appear to have been culled from the current Cadillac SRX. Whether this is indicative of a complete SRX re-skin or simply parts sharing remains to be seen.
Although currently billed as a concept, the SLC is destined for production. DeTomaso says engine offerings will include a 296-horsepower V-6 (sounds similar to the SRX’s turbocharged 2.8-liter six-cylinder), along with both a 247-horsepower turbo-diesel six-cylinder and a 524-horsepower V-8. Production is scheduled to begin next year, and the company hopes to build 3000 examples a year at roughly $115,000 a pop.
Despite seeing the SLC in its entirety for the first time, there’s still quite a bit of mystery surrounding the car. Various reports — many of which are crudely translated from Italian — offer conflicting bits of information, and DeTomaso itself isn’t revealing any further details until the SLC’s Geneva debut. We’re eager to find out exactly what lies beneath the sheetmetal, but we’re more interested to hear details of another project, which could birth a two-door sports coupe. Is a true Pantera/Mangusta successor in the cards?-rumors.automobilemag.com
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