Maserati SUV To Debut In Frankfurt

A concept version of Maserati's Jeep Grand Cherokee-based SUV will debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The production model will be built at Chrysler plant in Detroit beginning in 2013.

As you may or may not be aware, Maserati is in the process of building a luxury SUV to compete with the likes of the Porsche Cayenne. Previous rumors had indicated that the Jeep Grand Cherokee-based Maserati SUV would debut at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. That is shaping up to be correct.

According to a recent Bloomberg report, a source confirms that Maserati will be giving the world its first look at how Detroit ruggedness combines with Italian flair at the Frankfurt Motor Show. It will unveil the initial concept version of the SUV at next month's show.

Though many car enthusiasts are undoubtedly worried that the Maserati SUV may turn out to be the Frankenstein at Frankfurt, Maserati and parent company Fiat seem convinced that it will be able to pull off a Jeep-based SUV that is all Maserati at heart.

Rumors once drifted toward a V-8 powerplant from big brother Ferrari, and later, a Hemi V-8 from the Grand Cherokee SRT8, but the latest word is that the Maserati will source its own 4.7-liter V-8 engine, which powers several of its sedans and coupes. That engine is expected to put out somewhere between 450 and 470 hp in the SUV and will be paired with a ZF eight-speed transmission.

Maserati will begin production on the SUV by 2013 and hopes to sell between 10,000 and 15,000 units per year. The SUV will be built at Chrysler's Jefferson North plant alongside the Jeep Grand Cherokee.