23.09.2003 FIRST RECIPIENT OF THE MASERATI-AUDI COLLABORATION WILL BE THE KUBANG SUV

The Ferrari-Maserati Group signed a joint letter of co-operation at the Frankfurt Motor Show last week. In a ceremony, Ferrari-Maserati President Luca di Montezemolo and VW/Audi CEO Bernd Pischetsrieder confimed that the would be collaborating in "technical" areas, as well as Maserati purchasing compontentry. 

It is believed that the immediate application to be explored will be the use of Audi's four wheel drive technology in Maserati's first SUV under Ferrari ownership, due late next year and based on the Kubang concept.
MASERATI, FRANKFURT IAA: "Luca di Montezemolo, Chairman Ferrari and Maserati, and Dr. Bernd Pischetsrieder, CEO Volkswagen AG, have signed a letter of intent for several technical and commercial cooperation projects between Maserati and Audi. Both parties intend to jointly develop and manufacture further projects using modules from Maserati and Audi models. 

"This cooperation will also encompass the supply and purchasing of various components to be defined in more detail for specific projects and also for the existing product range."
The Kubang will probably the first model to show the results of this technical collaboration. Maserati's SUV, first show in concept form at the Detroit Motor Show earlier this year, is expected to use the 4-wheel drive system with torsen differential from the new Audi A8 coupled to the German carmaker's new 275 bhp, 650Nm V8 diesel engine. The net unit has a second generation commonrail system working with injection pressures of 1600 bar. 

It's also likely that Audi will share the adjustable (manual and automatic) air-suspension and the 6-speed automatic gearbox with the Kubang. This will see the Kubang and and Audi's own SUV (the Magallan) in theory competing head-to-head in the future using identical components. However Audi are expected to target their own SUV on the market as a competitor for the BMW X5 and the Mercedes ML while on the Maserati Kubang (being a Crossover, not a SUV) will compete with the more sportier Porsche Cayenne. 

An extension of the Ferrari-Audi technical partnership could see Maserati use an Audi 12-cylinder engine in the new Quattroporte and Kubang as an alternative the V12 unit presently destined for the 479, a detuned version (540 bhp) of the Enzo's 6.0-litre V12. They will have two choices from Audi: the 6-litre W12 from the Audi A8 and the Volkswagen Phaeton or even the twin-turbo charged unit of the Bentley Continental GT. So lots of possibilities for Maserati in the coming years.