Maserati’s corporate parents at Fiat have big plans for the old and storied marque. Some of the worst business decisions ever made in the automotive industry were made by the various owners that have helmed Maserati, but Fiat seems to have finally turned the brand around. And now that they’re back on their feet, Fiat wants to greatly expand the brand’s lineup. This will start with a new smaller sedan, based on the Chrysler LX/LY platform, the same one that underpins the Dodge Challenger. After that will come a new larger SUV, called the Levante. This will essentially be a production version of the horribly named Kubang concept that debuted last year.
The big SUV will compete with such segment favorites as the Audi Q7 and the Porsche Cayenne. But Audi also has a smaller crossover in the Q5, and Porsche is now bringing out their own version of this vehicle dubbed the Macan. In order to keep up with the expanded luxury crossover offerings, Car & Driver now reports that Maserati will also be bringing out a smaller crossover. This will be based on the same platform as the Alfa Romeo Giulietta and the Dodge Dart, which is rather telling. Rumors had been circulating last year that Alfa Romeo was going to be bringing out a luxurious SUV to compete with the Q5, but these never seemed to go anywhere. This new report concerning Maserati seems to suggest that Fiat decided to instead give the project to Maserati, presumably with the idea of charging more for the vehicle and possibly in response to the many delays which Alfa has faced in re-entering the US market.
