Everybody knows Maserati for their luxury sports cars, fast, sexy and exuding power. Now, here comes the Italian brand’s first SUV, the Maserati Kubang, produced in partnership with the Fiat Group and Chrysler. It will be released to international markets in 2013, and will take its competition, the best-selling Porsche Cayenne, full-on head-first. Chrysler will produce it in its Detroit, U.S., factories, and it will employ the same architecture as the Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.7. However, make no mistake, the Kubang is no pale copy of any already existing car. The distinctive curved lines and sleek style were created by the Maserati Style Center, headed by Lorenzo Ramaciotti. Its impressive V8 engine generates no less than 450 horse power and will be designed in Modena by Paolo Martinelli, Head of the brand’s Powertrain Deparment, a former engine chief of the Ferrari Formula One racing team. What is more, like all Maserati models, the Kubang is a car that prides itself in being tailor-made for its owner, who can choose basically anything in the car’s specifications, from color to handling, realized through the consolidated association with Poltrona Frau and the craftsmen of the traditional Vicenza tanning district. Ergonomics and safety, achieved via high-tech solutions, are also points of focus for the car brand.
The Kuban concept was revealed at the 2003 Detroit Auto Show, during a period in which few other brands were contemplating the concept of a luxury SUV. Maserati had already envisioned how to build one. The vehicle premiered on September 13, 2011, at the Frankfurt auto show. It aims to consolidate the manufacturer’s position on the sport luxury market, to expand its range to previously unexplored segments and to make driving an SUV be all about pleasure and luxury.
(Source: Kubang.Maserati.com)
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