Funny, but the vehicle pictured above doesn’t look like a Jeep Grand Cherokee. We’re not sure it looks like a Maserati, either, despite the trademark grill and trident. In fact, it looks like the offspring of a BMW X5 mated with an X6 to us, but that’s not a bad thing. In fact, we’ll admit to being impressed with the styling, at least from what we can see in this low-res preview image.
Maserati’s SUV will be built on the Jeep Grand Cherokee platform at Chrysler’s Jefferson North assembly plant in Detroit. Plans call for the yet-to-be named SUV to use Maserati’s 4.7-liter V-8, not either of the Hemi-V-8s in the Chrysler product catalog. Since the Maserati V-8 puts out some 450 horsepower, and has a decidedly Italian exhaust note, it’s probably a better fit for this particular application. There’s a good chance that Maserati will also offer up a diesel engine for the European market, probably a more highly tuned version of the oil-burner used in the Euro Jeep Grand Cherokee.
The Maserokee is expected to hit Maserati dealers in 2013, at a yet to be determined price. Aimed more at the Porsche Cayenne than at Jeep’s own Grand Cherokee SRT8, you can expect the luxury performance SUV to pack a price tag on par with other models in the Maserati lineup, which start at around $120,000. This much is sure: building a Maserati in Detroit will add a whole new dimension to Chrysler’s “Imported From Detroit” ad slogan.
Source: Automotive News Europe, via Left Lane News
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
