It shouldn’t even need to be said, but Kubang just isn’t a good name for a Maserati – and that’s not just because it sounds like onomatopoeia for the noise a Biturbo makes just before it becomes a Monoturbo.
When the name first surfaced on a 2003 Detroit Auto Show concept, the Modenese automaker said that Kubang was named after an Indonesian wind. But if we are to believe this guy, “kubang” actually means “quagmire” in Javanese. So maybe it actually is appropriate for the production version of this Maserati concept, which will have the most confused bloodlines of any product to wear the Trident since the infamous Chrysler TC.
But seriously, we completely understand why the Fiat brass would prefer that the Maserati crossover be called something as banal as “Cinqueporte,” which not only complements the Quattroporte sedan, but literally translates to “five-door.” That the name has reportedly been registered in Italy only makes sense – if for no other reason than to keep someone else from using it.
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