Maserati Alfieri to go into production

Maserati Alfieri that featured in the Geneva motor show in concept form is slated to go into production in 2016, the company has confirmed. The Alfieri will first be made available in coupe form next year

 

The Alfieri, which appeared at the Geneva motor show, will launch first in coupé form next year ahead of a convertible version in 2017. A replacement for the current Granturismo will be launched in 2018, the firm has revealed.

 

The Jaguar F-type rival will be underpinned by an adapted version of the platform on the Maserati Ghibli and Quattroporte models. The Alfieri concept was based on the current Granturismo.

 

The entry-level rear-wheel drive Alfieri will be powered by a 404bhp turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 engine, Maserati has confirmed. Range-topping all-wheel drive versions will also be offered with 444bhp and 513bhp outputs. The engines will be mirrored across coupe and convertible versions. and prices are set to start at around Rs  61.2 lakh.

 

The absence of a V8 petrol engine in the Alfieri’s range leaves space for an all-new Granturismo in 2018 as the firm’s range-topper, with power from its turbocharged 3.8-litre V8 rated in excess of 552bhp. The new Granturismo will also be based on the Ghibli/Qauttroporte platform, and is set to be rear-wheel drive only.

 

There is no mention of a replacement for the current Grancabrio in Maserati’s five-year plan, suggesting a launch at the very end of the decade, if it all, as Maserati may decide the Alfieri convertible can cover that segment.

 

In the more immediate future, there is a new SUV called Levante to be launced in 2015. It will be offered exclusively in rear-wheel drive with V6 petrol and diesel engines, plus a 552bhp+ range-topping V8 petrol version targeted at the Porsche Cayenne Turbo.

 

By 2018, Maserati will also have expanded the Ghibli and Quattroporte line-ups with more engine variants. Both cars will share a V6 petrol with 345bhp in base rear-drive form and a more potent 444bhp version with rear- or all-wheel drive. A V8 petrol with 552bhp+ will be offered with all-wheel drive in both cars. On the V6 diesel side, both cars will be offered with a 247bhp and 271bhp unit with rear-wheel drive, and the Quattroporte a 335bhp version with all-wheel drive.

 

The upshot of all these new models is the desire to take Maserati’s sales from 15,000 units last year to 75,000 units by 2018. With this range of products and powertrains, Maserati believes it will have 100 percent coverage in the luxury segment by 2018, up from less than 50 percent in 2013.