When the exported-from-Detroit 2013 Maserati Kubang goes on sale, it will become the very first Maserati model to carry a diesel engine. At least one V-8 gasoline engine will be offered as well, as that’s what most buyers will expect to see (and hear) beneath the hood.

As Maserati’s vice-president of product development, Roberto Corradi, told England’s What Car?, a diesel engine option is seen as necessary to compete with rivals in the European Union.

Porsche’s Cayenne is offered up in a 3.0-liter V-6 turbodiesel variant in Europe (and soon, America), and BMW recently announced M versions of its diesel X5 and X6. Sadly, the BMW M diesel variants are restricted to the other side of the pond.

Corradi isn’t talking about which engines will grace the production Kubang, but he did point out that a diesel Maserati would likely have some objections to overcome. As with BMW’s latest M5, the diesel Maserati Kubang is expected to use the audio system to “enhance” the sound of the engine, tuning it to produce a more familiar sound.

We still can’t decide if “enhanced soundtrack” engines are a good thing or a bad thing, but we’re clear on one point: it requires a lot of technology too implement, and it doesn’t make the car go any faster.