Frankfurt, September 13, 2011. A new Maserati vehicle in the sport luxury SUV segment will represent a natural direction for Maserati to enlarge its product range and strengthen its presence in the sport luxury market.

For some reason SUVs today never seem to offer the kind of uplifting driving pleasure and luxury atmosphere that are two givens of today’s high-end sports and luxury cars. And this is precisely what Maserati set out to do with its new sport luxury SUV concept that is being unveiled at the Frankfurt Auto Show today, the forerunner of the future Maserati range, creating at once discontinuity by entering a new segment, and continuity by maintaining the integrity of Maserati’s DNA.

The idea of a sport luxury SUV is naturally not totally new to Maserati. Many will remember the Kubang concept that was unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in 2003. At a time in which few other brands were going in the direction of a sport luxury SUV, Maserati was already thinking to build one.

Today potential synergies with sister brand Jeep – a brand that 70 years ago created a new segment of the market and is today a leader of this very segment – are the important catalyst for Maserati’s own interpretation of a sport luxury SUV. And it seems only appropriate to give the model that we are unveiling today the very name of the concept that opened the way: Maserati Kubang.

The essence and all major system components of the Maserati sport luxury SUV will unmistakably be Maserati: 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.

The distinctive Maserati style that makes the Kubang immediately recognisable as a true Maserati has been created by the Maserati Style Center headed by Lorenzo Ramaciotti.

New-generation high-tech Maserati proprietary engines will be designed in Modena by Paolo Martinelli – Head of the Maserati Powertrain Department and for nearly 30 years at Ferrari, where he also served as engine chief of the Formula One racing team – and will be produced in Maranello by Ferrari.

An AT 8 speed automatic transmission and specific performance settings such as suspensions, brakes, steering will be exclusively developed in Modena for the Maserati sport luxury SUV by the Maserati Product Development Department.

Until today Maserati has been producing sedans, coupes and two- or four-seater convertibles. Whether we named them Quattroporte, GranTurismo or GranCabrio – or, before them, Ghibli, Mistral, Bora or Indy - their common denominator rested in two words: sportiness and luxury. Times have changed: sportiness and luxury today don’t have just one definition. They can also take the form of a very dynamic looking and high performing sport luxury SUV.

Maserati GranCabrio Fendi

The Maserati GranCabrio Fendi is the first major fruit of Maserati’s partnership with the Italian maison, Fendi. This union of two iconic Made in Italy brands is rooted in their shared values, such as craftsmanship, technology, excellence and tradition.

The GranCabrio Fendi represents the culmination of all of this: the perfect marriage between the art of handmade objects with the refined technology of a 4.7-litre V8 engine. It is crafted in the historical Maserati headquarters in Modena, with exclusive materials created in various colours exclusively for this project.

The three-layered body colour named Grigio Fiamma Fendi is a special dark grey with an iridescent golden finish on the surface. The wood trim, named Pergamena Fendi, runs across the width of the dashboard, on the doors and on the top of the gear lever, all in the iconic Fendi yellow, like the car’s brake callipers and the embroidered yellow Trident on the headrests.

Fendi’s unmistakable double F logo, stitched on the seat, adds a strong, yet elegant character to the GranCabrio, and it also appears in the centre of the 20-inch alloy wheels and along the rocker panel.

Cuoio Romano, Fendi’s precious leather from its Selleria line, has been used for details such as the instrument cluster cover, the gear lever and the profile of the floor mats. It is also featured in the luggage and accessories of the Limited Edition Travel Set.

The GranCabrio Fendi combines the art of Fatto a Mano (handmade) with Maserati’s acknowledged expertise in matching its critically acclaimed chassis with its sonorous 4.7-litre V8 engine and six-speed automatic transmission, all of which brings music to the ears of car connoisseurs.

Silvia Venturini Fendi’s specially crafted logo seals this collaboration. A silver oval plaque with an engraved Maserati Trident, Fendi logo and the five-digit series number (five being an iconic number for Fendi) is located on the dashboard, in front of the passenger seat, and on both sides of the black, folding cloth roof.

A special black car cover with ton-sur-ton double F logo dresses the Maserati GranCabrio Fendi.

For information on the Maserati range on display at IAA, MY2012 product upgrades as well as FIA GT1 World Champion Andrea Bertolini deeds at the wheel of the Swiss Team Quattroporte Evo in the Superstars Series or the grand finale of the second season of the Trofeo Maserati GranTurismo MC, please go to www.media.maserati.com

Maserati’s 2011 Financial Results

For H1 2011, Maserati reported revenues of €303 million, substantially in line with the same period for the prior year (+2.3% at constant exchange rates).

Deliveries to the network were up 10.7% year-over-year to 3,213 vehicles.

The increase was driven by particularly strong performance in the USA and China, which experienced increases of 22% and 124%, respectively. Volume increases and efficiency gains contributed to trading profit of €18 million, up significantly over the €12 million recorded for H1 2010.

Text and ALL photos courtesy of Maserati