Iconic Italian car manufacturer Maserati have announced that the entire Maserati range will go on sale in India by mid-2011. The Shreyans group that recently struck a deal with Ferrari to sell their cars in India will run dedicated Maserati dealerships.
The Maserati range includes the Quattroporte four-door sports saloon, the GranTurismo coupé and the GranCabrio convertible.
Two engines will be on offer — a 4.2-litre 400bhp naturally aspirated V8 and an ‘S’ version which has a 4.7-litre V8 developing 430bhp, both based on Ferrari units. The 4.7-litre engine is essentially the same 4.2 block with an increased bore and stroke.
The Quattroporte, one of the finest handling four-door sports saloons, will give the recently launched Panamera a run for its money. Then there are the GranTurismo coupé and the GranCabrio, the convertible version of the coupé, both four-seaters.
Prices for the coupé should range between Rs 1.3-1.5 crore. The GranCabrio, which is only available with the 4.7-litre engine, will cost more.
In comparison, a Ferrari California will cost approximately Rs 2.3 crore in India. This almost makes the Maserati a great performance bargain.
In addition to these, Maserati is also developing a new SUV based on the Jeep Grand Cherokee platform that’s due next year, so it could make its way to India too to rival the Porsche Cayenne.
Maserati will hope to jump on the bandwagon of the briskly growing niche car market. With its blend of stunning looks, heritage, performance and relative affordability, it has a good shot at our market.
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Dipan Sur
Dhruv Dhaka
