Designed by the legendary Italian stylist Giorgetto Giugiaro, the GT Wagon concept involved developing a high performance car with torque control on all its four driving wheels, optimal weight distribution (48/52% front and rear respectively) and a centre of gravity 100 mm lower than in the average SUV. It also had to be able to meet the demands of all kinds of sports and leisure-oriented activities.

Named after a Javan wind, as is traditional for Maseratis, the Maserati Kubang concept car is the result of the combination of a 390bhp Maserati eight-cylinder "V" engine and a versatile bodyshell that promises the same standard of safety and efficiency as a thoroughbred sportscar. Even the lower, sporty driving position stands out in the SUV category as it offers the driver a truly exceptional view of the road ahead.



Performance & Leisure

The roomy interior architecture of the Kubang is revolutionary, with plenty of passenger and driver space and maximum modularity - all wrapped up in a sporty-looking dynamic package, that befits the Maserati marque. The interior can seat five (two in front and three in back) or four in the Executive option (two front seats and two back). Two further seats can also be fitted at the rear to add a third row.



Personalisation - a final flourish of exclusivity & pleasure

Maserati's trademark exclusivity and sophistication shines out of all the Kubang's other features too. No idea has been left unturned when it comes to onboard comfort and electronics and yet the customer still has enormous freedom to personalize. The Kubang drives home once again the fact that Maserati builds cars to be yours and no one else's, courtesy of the "Officine Alfieri Maserati" personalisation programme.



High versatility

The Kubang principle of combining fun behind the wheel, performance and maximum versatility even extend to the load area. The rear tailgate hinges high up on the roof to make loading and unloading comfortable - even for the tallest users. But that's not all, the tailgate's bottom section also flips up separately to make loading from a lower position equally easy. The total trunk capacity is 1,500 litres.



A thrilling sporty drive

Maserati wanted the Kubang to be a versatile all-rounder. It had to have four-wheel drive, but Maserati stopped short of making it a full-specification off-roader, as the technical requirements to achieve that at would have gone completely against the whole GT philosophy. The six-speed transmission comes with a mechanical electro-hydraulic control, developed especially with fully automatic use in mind.

"I decided that there was still something that could be done with the SUV concept. To me, they look more like off-roaders that have gradually been "civilized" rather than real automobiles. They've got a lot going for them, but for some reason they never seem to offer the kind of sublime driving pleasure and all-round, all-weathers and all-conditions safety that are two givens of other modern cars.

When Montezemolo talked to me about creating a whole new, ultra versatile Maserati, I decided we should do something that really pushed the envelope. We'd do a whole new take on the genuine Maserati GT that would make it perfect for sporty, dynamic modern drivers, and what we came up with was the GT Wagon concept.

So that's how Kubang came to be. It all happened very fast. We didn't have to research or review our ideas and concepts. There were no set parameters we had to keep in mind either. With the Kubang, we stretched the concept of the automobile as far as our imaginations would let us, without losing anything that would be expected from a thoroughbred GT.

I'm very happy with this design. As a constructor, Maserati has always been had its finger on the pulse of what drivers right across the board want and that has often seen it marry seemingly diverse features in a single car: just think of the way it combined the elegance and sophistication of Mistral and the 3500GT with obviously racing-inspired performance. And so I was thrilled that Maserati gave me the brief to open a whole new chapter in a cutting edge segment that has completely changed the face of our roads in the last few years."