Ferrari has officially crossed over to the Dark Side. The Italian marque has shed its supercar-only persona, promising an SUV in just a few years. That means more mainstream cars like saloons and hatchbacks can't be that far behind. With that in mind, one artist has rendered a city-centric Ferrari hatchback that actually looks pretty cool – more so with a rally makeover.

Ferrari's SUV is coming...:

Artist Taekang Lee created the concept. It takes a number of familiar Ferrari cues and grafts them onto the body of a teeny, tiny hatchback. The front grille, for example, appears ripped from the front end of an 812 Superfast. The taillights are familiar too; the round LEDs share similarities with both the 599 and the 488 GTB. And the wheels come from an outgoing 458.

Ferrari Hot Hatchback Render
Ferrari Hot Hatchback Render
Ferrari Hot Hatchback Render
Ferrari Hot Hatchback Render

But the road-going render is only part of the appeal. Lee also created a rally version of the hatchback. It comes fully decked out in an F1-inspired Shell livery and WRC body kit, which includes performance upgrades like an aggressive front diffuser, new wheels, a roof scoop, and a massive spoiler.

The artist doesn't highlight performance, but our best guess would be a turbocharged V6. Rumours have hinted at a turbocharged V6 for the 488 replacement. It would be the first vehicle in the lineup to use the smaller-displacement engine. Already we know that Ferrari's SUV will get a new hybrid V8. That engine will show up in the Ferrari lineup in 2019.

The likelihood of this Ferrari hatchback happening, though, is slim. The Ferrari SUV hasn't even been built yet. But with more supercar specialists making the switch to SUVs (i.e. Lamborghini), we wouldn't be surprised to see a Ferrari hatchback in the distant future.

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Gallery: Ferrari Hot Hatchback Render