Maserati will finally roll out the compact sports car we’ve been promised, revealing its product plan for the next three years.
We’ve been tantalised by the prospect of a Maserati rival to the AMG GT and Porsche 911 since the 2014 Alfieri concept, but it’s been a constant non-starter.
Now, it appears the Alfieri – or a more modern interpretation of that car – is finally locked in for production. What will power it isn’t clear, but engines ranging from a petrol V6 to a fully-electric setup have been mooted.
Reports from earlier this year claimed the Alfieri will be built on a modular aluminium space-frame chassis designed to support fully- and partially-electrified powertrains. The most powerful model is expected to be a three-motor, all-wheel drive electric model capable of hitting 100km/h in around two seconds.
The sports car will be joined by a convertible version in 2021, according to Maserati’s latest earnings report. Also on the cards are refreshed Levante, Ghibli and Quattroporte models in 2020.
An all-new GranTurismo is also expected to follow in 2021, with a new GranCabrio and Quattroporte to come in 2022. At the moment, the GranTurismo is 12 years old.
Interestingly, Maserati had previously said the Alfieri would replace the GranTurismo, so plans at Fiat Chrysler have clearly changed since its last product plan was released in 2018.
Away from the sports cars, the Levante will get a smaller brother known only as the ‘D-UV’ at the moment. It’s expected to be offered with an electric powertrain, like the new Levante set to lob in 2023.
In Australia, Maserati is sitting on 276 sales so far in 2019 – down 6.7 per cent on last year. Its strongest-selling model, the Levante, is a bit-part player in the large SUV class, recording 169 sales year-to-date, 589 fewer than the Porsche Cayenne.
[“source=caradvice”]