Frankfurt 2011: Maserati Kubang (Insert Your Jokes Here)

[William Maley]

Frankfurt 2011: Maserati Kubang (Insert Your Jokes Here)

William Maley - Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com

September 13, 2011

http://www.cheersandgears.com/gallery/album/227-2013-maserati-kubang/

It seems every luxury manufacturer is jumping on the SUV bandwagon and Maserati happens to be the latest one. Today at Frankfurt, Maserati rolled out the Kubang SUV. The name comes from the 2003 concept shown at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The SUV carries a family resemblance with the design of front and rear end.

The Kubang will be using the Jeep's Grand Cherokee platform and that's about it. Everything else from the V8, eight speed transmission, chassis, and brakes will be done by Maserati.

We'll find out more like what the engine lineup will look and price tag later on.

Press Release is below

Maserati's Vision of A High Performing Sport Luxury SUV

Frankfurt, September 13, 2011. A new Maserati vehicle in the sport luxury SUV segment will represent a natural direction for Maserati to enlarge its product range and strengthen its presence in the sport luxury market.

For some reason SUVs today never seem to offer the kind of uplifting driving pleasure and luxury atmosphere that are two givens of today's high-end sports and luxury cars. And this is precisely what Maserati set out to do with its new sport luxury SUV concept that is being unveiled at the Frankfurt Auto Show today, the forerunner of the future Maserati range, creating at once discontinuity by entering a new segment, and continuity by maintaining the integrity of Maserati's DNA.

The idea of a sport luxury SUV is naturally not totally new to Maserati. Many will remember the Kubang concept that was unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in 2003. At a time in which few other brands were going in the direction of a sport luxury SUV, Maserati was already thinking to build one.

Today potential synergies with sister brand Jeep – a brand that 70 years ago created a new segment of the market and is today a leader of this very segment – are the important catalyst for Maserati's own interpretation of a sport luxury SUV. And it seems only appropriate to give the model that we are unveiling today the very name of the concept that opened the way: Maserati Kubang.

The essence and all major system components of the Maserati sport luxury SUV will unmistakably be Maserati: style, engine, suspensions, brakes, handling and performance will all be 100% Maserati in picture-perfect continuity with the brand's core values of sportiness, style, elegance, luxury, performance and craftsmanship.

The distinctive Maserati style that makes the Kubang immediately recognisable as a true Maserati has been created by the Maserati Style Center headed by Lorenzo Ramaciotti.

New-generation high-tech Maserati proprietary engines will be designed in Modena by Paolo Martinelli – Head of the Maserati Powertrain Department and for nearly 30 years at Ferrari, where he also served as engine chief of the Formula One racing team – and will be produced in Maranello by Ferrari.

An AT 8 speed automatic transmission and specific performance settings such as suspensions, brakes, steering will be exclusively developed in Modena for the Maserati sport luxury SUV by the Maserati Product Development Department.

Until today Maserati has been producing sedans, coupes and two- or four-seater convertibles. Whether we named them Quattroporte, GranTurismo or GranCabrio – or, before them, Ghibli, Mistral, Bora or Indy - their common denominator rested in two words: sportiness and luxury. Times have changed: sportiness and luxury today don't have just one definition. They can also take the form of a very dynamic looking and high performing sport luxury SUV.

[Satty]

Failure, unless they flood the airways with commercials starring William Hung.

[balthazar]

"Maserati should have had an SUV in 1985; this is too little too late."

[Robert Hall]

I like it from the 3 photos I've seen..more like the Infiniti FX than the more mainstream premium SUVs (X5, ML). Will be interesting to see how the interior turns out. Interesting to see the Italians get into the luxury SUV game. Will be interesting to see how the Alfa one turns out also.

The last Italian SUV in the US IIRC was in the late 80s-early 90s...an angular model by a small company whose name I can't recall..had Ford engines...I've seen maybe 4 of them in the last 20 years.

Edited September 13, 2011 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[Camino LS6]

Terrible, just terrible.

[Camino LS6]

Interesting to see the Italians get into the luxury SUV game. Will be interesting to see how the Alfa one turns out also.

The last Italian SUV in the US IIRC was in the late 80s-early 90s...an angular model by a small company whose name I can't recall..had Ford engines...I've seen maybe 4 of them in the last 20 years.

La Forza.

[Robert Hall]

Interesting to see the Italians get into the luxury SUV game. Will be interesting to see how the Alfa one turns out also.

The last Italian SUV in the US IIRC was in the late 80s-early 90s...an angular model by a small company whose name I can't recall..had Ford engines...I've seen maybe 4 of them in the last 20 years.

La Forza.

That's it...was thinking 'Forenza' or 'Fortera' but that was a Vauxhall..

[Camino LS6]

Remember this thing?

[Robert Hall]

Remember this thing?

Ahh, the Lambo LM002.... never seen one in person, but have a neat little diecast one..

[ocnblu]

I choose to take this as an indicator of what's to come for Chrysler's Fiat-underpinned US vehicles. And I'm encouraged. This looks nothing like a Grand Cherokee or Durango.

[Robert Hall]

I choose to take this as an indicator of what's to come for Chrysler's Fiat-underpinned US vehicles. And I'm encouraged. This looks nothing like a Grand Cherokee or Durango.

Yes, it's promising...I like that it has it's own complete body, and not just a different front clip and rear trim. Not sure if even the windshield is shared.

The prototype mules that have been posted of the new small Dodge have literally been a widened and lengthened Guilia, but I assume the production model will have it's own metal.

[balthazar]

Is that LM200 a Guigario design?

[smk4565]

The real one actually looks worse than the bad photo shop of a couple days ago. Perhaps this cross sharing can lead to Jeep getting a rear drive 2+2 sports coupe.

There have been rumors of a Jaguar or Bentley SUV also, this is just so lame. If you are a sports car brand, build sports cars, don't build trucks.

[Robert Hall]

The real one actually looks worse than the bad photo shop of a couple days ago. Perhaps this cross sharing can lead to Jeep getting a rear drive 2+2 sports coupe.

There have been rumors of a Jaguar or Bentley SUV also, this is just so lame. If you are a sports car brand, build sports cars, don't build trucks.

I think all the luxury and sports car makers have seen the success of the Cayenne and realized SUVs are an easy profit center and market expander. With Jaguar, I don't see the point since they have Land Rover as a sibling.

What about Rolls-Royce? Ferrari? Hopefully not, but who knows..

[balthazar]

...SUVs are an easy profit center...

You mean; the following GM's lead here?

[pow]

...SUVs are an easy profit center...

You mean; the following GM's lead here?

Unfortunately. This thing looks horrendous.

[Northstar]

It looks like a CX-7 with a different front end.