We’re no longer surprised that Maserati is making an SUV, and in fact, we had a hunch they were going to do it even before they made their intentions official, with the revealing of the Kubang concept, back in 2011 at the Frankfurt Auto Show. Now we know it is set for production, bearing the Levante name, however, many details regarding it are still unclear.
Edmunds says it has additional details, the most important of which being the switch from building the Levante in the US, alongside the Jeep Grand Cherokee at the Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit, to manufacturing it in Italy. Stateside production would have definitely been a cost-effective way of making the Maserati SUV, but since demand for the Grand Cherokee is very high, the plant needs to work at full capacity to keep up with the strong demand for the model.
In addition, if it does get built in Italy, the Levante should be a bit less Jeep-like, and may share more of its components with its sedan stable mates, the Ghibli and Quattroporte. It will, of course, retain the Grand Cherokee’s platform and basic architecture, but all will be clad in sexier Italian sheetmetal.
It’s all looking rather promising, actually, with the impressive choice of engines, which are also shared with the sedans, as well as Jeep’s off-road know-how, the end result should be nice to look at and drive on the road, while also being capable when it goes off-road.
According to the quoted source, the plan is to have a “Latin blend” of the BMW X6 and Porsche Cayenne – this is information obtained from inside the company and it does make sense in the general context of things. It is worth mentioning though that the Levante won’t be a strict four-seater like the X6, promising generous accommodations for three in the back.
By Andrei Nedelea
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