The Levante SUV is the most important Maserati of all time

Maserati unveiled its all-new Levante SUV this week at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. The Levante will be the first SUV in the history of the century-old Italian brand known mostly for its exotic sports cars.

In recent years, Maserati's parent company, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, has worked hard to revive the brand that had all but died out in the US. The company made a big splash in 2014 with the introduction if its Ghibli sedan, but the momentum surrounding the brand has tapered off since then.

With the Levante, Maserati hopes to reignite the company's flagging sales by tapping into the surging luxury SUV market. The Levante will join Maserati's existing lineup, which includes the Quattroporte and Ghibli sedans along with the GranTurismo and GranCabrio GT models.