It’s no secret that Maserati is chasing ambitious annual sales figures — in fact the company hopes to jump from selling just 5,000 cars a year to more than 50,000 vehicles by 2015. How, you ask? More new models, much more…
The company currently makes coupé and soft-top GTs and a flagship saloon, but an SUV is in the works (see Frankfurt 2011’s Kubang concept), as is a Porsche 911/Cayman-rivalling mid-engined sportscar. Maserati will, after all, manufacture the upcoming 4C for Alfa Romeo, so the Italian company may as well slap some trident badges on that and boost its numbers pronto.
But the volume-seller title should go to its entry-level saloon going up against Jaguar’s XF. Maserati is calling the new car Ghibli; a badge last seen on a Nineties coupé and before that on a Sixties coupé and roadster.
From a styling point of view the new Ghibli will be similar to the 2014 Quattroporte, with a lower front fascia, shorter wheelbase, and a shorter boot giving the model a slightly fastback appearance. Power will come from the same V6 and V8 twin-turbocharged engines found in the Quattroporte, although we’ll know for sure when wheels jets off to the Shanghai motor show next month — Maserati could very well grace its stand with the new Ghibli.
