CARBARN | Maserati Kubang (2013) | When Maserati first rolled out its Kubang concept named after a warm Javan wind—at the January 2003 Detroit Auto Show, it was very hot on the heels of the Porsche Cayenne. At that time, Maserati had planned to utilize the Audi Q7's platform along with its more road-oriented quattro all-wheel-drive system. The decision was surprising, at a time when luxury SUVs were selling like gangbusters. A senior Maserati executive as soon as 2003 told The Car Connection that it was "leaning" towards a production version of the Kubang.
Maserati had made a partnership with Audi and had been at work on a production version of the Kubang featuring an Audi quattro derived all-wheel drive system shortly after that first appearance. The original specs were pretty impressive: 0-62 mph in 5.5 seconds, top speed more than 160 mph.
Top notch engineering resources were lent from Jeep and its expertise with the blistering Grand Cherokee SRT8 while Maserati has said that all major components of the Kubang will be "unmistakably Maserati."See these pictures of the new Kubang, direct from the floor of the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show, below, then see our preview of the Kubang for more information.
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