Maserati Kubang is Italian for SUV

So says Maserati, and though we're quite certain rivals like Porsche, BMW and even Maserati's own sister-brand, Jeep, would take offense to the claim, we feel inclined to point out that the very nature of the SUV – higher ground clearance, seating position and the subsequent higher center-of-gravity, to name just one – makes them less suitable for the kind of "driving pleasure" we'd generally associate with Maserati. But we digress.

What we have here is Maserati's take on the premium sport utility vehicle, and the Italian automaker promises it heralds the coming of a new product line. Maserati claims that the Kubang's "style, engine, suspensions, brakes, handling and performance will all be 100% Maserati in picture-perfect continuity with the brand's core values of sportiness, style, elegance, luxury, performance and craftsmanship."

We hope all that is true, and at least the powerplants sound enticing. According to the Italian company, a new generation of proprietary engines are being designed in Modena by Paolo Martinelli, who previously spent 30 years at Ferrari and its Scuderia factory racing team, and they'll be built in Maranello by Ferrari. Expect that engine to be mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

Keen fans of the brand may remember that this isn't the first Kubang seen from Maserati. Way back in 2003 at the Detroit Auto Show, the Trident brand showed off an SUV in conceptual form that shared the same moniker. We think this one looks a fair bit better, though it's still a somewhat oddly shaped little duckling.

Nothing else is yet known about the Kubang, but we'd expect it to borrow liberally from the Jeep parts bin, and there have been many indications that it will likely even roll down the same assembly line in Detroit as the Grand Cherokee.