Maserati is gearing up to take on the Porsche Cayenne with a new SUV, Fiat and Chrysler Group boss Sergio Marchionne has revealed.
The firm’s R&D boss, Harald Wester, revealed recently that Alfa will use the Jeep Grand Cherokee (pictured) platform as the basis for an upmarket SUV to rival the BMW X5. It would join the 159’s successor and a more affordable compact SUV as Alfa re-enters the US market in 2013.
Marchionne confirmed the plan for a large SUV in a conference call with journalists and then hinted that the platform — originally designed for the Mercedes M-class, R-class and GL back in the days of DaimlerChrysler — could also underpin a new Maserati.
Marchionne said: “One of the things we are now looking at in some detail is utilising this architecture and extending its application for future products both within Chrysler and outside Chrysler.”
Marchionne also revealed that he is looking closely at using existing Maserati engines in the new performance-orientated SUV. This sets up the possibility of the new SUV using the same Ferrari-produced V8 engines as the GranTurismo, GranCabrio and Quattroporte.
Greg Kable
