Maserati Kubang SUV at the Frankfurt Motor Show

The Maserati Kubang concept is a forerunner of the future Maserati range, seeing the manufacturer enter the sport luxury SUV segment.

In 2003, Maserati first unveiled the Kubang concept at the Detroit Auto Show, when many other manufacturers were just moving towards a sport luxury Maserati SUV.

The Maserati Kubang will feature an AT 8 speed automatic transmission, alongside specifically developed settings for suspensions, brakes and steering by the Maserati Product Development Department.

Maserati has unveiled its all-new 'sport luxury SUV' - the Kubang - at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The "Maserati Kubang" will be equipped with Maserati engines, suspension and brakes, the manufacturer said.

When Maserati first rolled out its "Maserati 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. 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. 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."