Following an online leak last week, the 2017 Maserati Levante has been officially revealed ahead of its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

ONLY A MATTER of hours after a Netherlands-based automotive website released leaked images of the 2017 Maserati Levante onto the Web, Maserati released official images. But it refrained from giving any technical detail.

Here’s what the Italian car maker said: “The design of the Levante features clear associations with the Maserati brand and its distinctive Italian character: the aggressive front introduces new, tapered headlights separated into two elements, with the upper headlight unit connected to the radiator grille. Maserati’s design signature is clearly visible on the sides: the three iconic air vents on the front wings, the trapezoidal C-pillar with the “Saetta” logo and the large, frameless door windows. The rear is dominated by the strongly tapered back window and streamlined shape, both typical of a high-performance sports car.

“At a technical level, the Levante’s chassis is designed to combine the outstanding on-road performance typical of every Maserati with unrivalled handling even on very low-grip surfaces and an excellent off-road performance and ride. The new SUV boasts a high level of content as standard, with all versions featuring: sophisticated electronic suspension with controlled damping and air springs, which can be set on several levels, “Q4” intelligent all-wheel drive and eight speed automatic transmission specially calibrated for the brand’s new SUV.”

We’ll have more information when the Levante is released at the Geneva Motor Show, although Maserati Australia has confirmed we won’t see the new Levante until early 2017.