The Italian luxury car manufacturer brought its concept SUV the Kubang to the Beijing Motor Show last month where it will disappear from view until it materialises in its production form at the end of next year.
Maserati is synonymous with style, speed and luxury and the Bolognese company have promised to bring all of these and more to the their first offering in the SUV market. Beijing was the perfect platform to bid this concept adieu before t goes into gestation, as China is now Maserati’s second biggest market. Demand for luxury SUVs is expected to rise by 49% in China to 265,200 units in 2015.
The Maserati Kubang will compete with the Porsche Cayenne, Mercedes-Benz ML 63 AMG and BMW X5M models, but its not sure if the production model will carry the same name. Maserati purists will be paying very close attention to all the details to see if the new SUV will in any way betray the characteristics that are imprinted on the DNA of the legendary sports car but the builders have assured Maserati’s legions of obsessive fans that the style, engine, suspensions, brakes, handling and performance will all unmistakably be Maserati.
The Kubang will share its base with the Jeep Grand Cherokee and will be built by Chrysler in Detroit. Maserati will build the engines in Italy. It is expected to be available both in petrol and diesel models.
by Hugo Mc Cafferty
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