Maserati\'s vision of a luxury SUV

Maserati never once tried to deny that this new Kubang concept SUV is just a much more beautiful Jeep Grand Cherokee. The company clearly expressed that Fiat’s tie-up with Chrysler means that Maserati now merely has the benefit of Jeep chassis and know-how, but at the same time the guys from Maranello claimed that the production Kubang will be 100 per cent Maserati. Wearing the same name tag as the original Maser SUV concept of 2003 vintage, the Kubang apparently packs Maserati everything, including style, engine, suspension, brakes, handling and performance components, and an eight-speed transmission. The Kubang is said to be developed completely in Italy, while the engines themselves will even be produced in Maranello. Of course we can safely expect a Jeep grand Cherokee chassis to underpin the Kubang, but the rest is a clean sheet. With this latest model Maserati aims to offer a typical driving experience befitting the brand, calling this creation a sport luxury SUV. Look for a proper production-ready model to surface at a show next year, likely to be Geneva, or even an early US show since the Kubang is aimed primarily at the North American market.