And even though a much needed replacement for the Quattroporte sports saloon that has been on the market since 2004 has yet to be introduced, the Italians are already moving into new territory with the Kubang, the firm's first attempt in the SUV category.
For those of you wondering about the Italian firm's first stab at the popular category, that was the Kubang concept designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro and introduced at the 2003 Detroit Auto Show, never to be heard or seen after up until now.
T
he above picture of a Maserati SUV appeared in a pocket book catalogue for the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show made by/for Automotive News Europe, and it was quickly picked up by many news sites.
However, aside from the fact that the crossover model depicted here has one too many common design features with the BMW X6, we're under the impression that the same photo (the one on your right hand) appeared in an Italian magazine – the August issue of Quattroruote if we're not mistaken (maybe our Italian readers can help us out here).
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[The above photo is an independent rendering, not the actual Maserati SUV Concept]Sources from within the company confirmed today that the Italian company will indeed launch a Jeep Grand Cherokee-based SUV concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month. What’s more, the same insiders said that the luxury SUV will be manufactured not at Modena, like all other sports cars bearing the trident badge, but at Chrysler’s Jefferson North plant in Detroit.
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First up is the long-rumored Maserati SUV model, which is said to be previewed by a concept study (not to be confused with the independent design rendering by Andrey Trofimchuk that is pictured in this article) at the upcoming 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show in September, before landing in showrooms in 2013.
So what is this: a new Maserati SUV model; a concept teaser? Fortunately for those that think highly of the Italian automaker's latest designs such as the GrandTurismo, the answer to both questions is no. This is an extremely well executed but, sorry to say, far from sleek or stylish, independent design study for a crossover Maserati model created by Russian designer Andrey Trofimchuk. Furthermore, we couldn't help but notice some design similarities, especially up front, to the 2002 Dodge Razor Concept.To be honest, if it weren't for the inverted A-pillar up front that was a dead giveaway, we wouldn't have thought of the American automaker's concept coupe. Well, at least that's what we think. As always, you can agree or disagree with us in the comment section below.
We thank Grigory from Cardesign for the photos
2002 DODGE RAZOR CONCEPT
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MASERATI KUBA SUV DESIGN STUDY
Following up on our previous article on the Maserati GranTurismo MC, we’ve got our hands on a full set of high-resolution images, the official brochure and to top it off, a short video of the concept undergoing testing at the Inside the GranTurismo S has been stripped to bare metal gaining a FIA-approved rollcage, bucket seats and a racing steering wheel. The Italian firm hasn’t announced any plans to produce the concept but we have a hunch that the GranTurismo MC will be available for track-lovers in the very near future.
Video Via: Autoblog.it
BROCHURE
