Maserati has announced plans to send the Alfieri concept to production. Revealed at the Geneva Motor Show this past March, the Alfieri provides the start of a bold new look for the trident-badged sports car.
The production confirmation came during Maserati's presentation at the Fiat Group's Investor Day on Tuesday. The Alfieri coupe will join the Maserati lineup in 2016 and will be followed by a cabriolet variant a year later.
The move comes as Maserati aims to nearly quintuple its sales, from 15,400 in 2013 to 75,000 in 2018. The GranTurismo and GranCabrio will be phased out this year, and the Levante SUV will join the line in 2015, followed by the Alfieri models. In 2018, a new-generation GranTurismo will add a sixth vehicle to the Maserati family, which also includes the Ghibli and Quattroporte.
The Alfieri concept displayed in Geneva found middle ground somewhere between bold enough to be a pure concept car and polished enough to preview a production sports car. Rumors of a production future had been bubbling since the show, so this week's announcement is not entirely a surprise.
One of the standout stars in Geneva, the Alfieri wore an aggressive but smooth fastback style inspired by heritage designs like the 1954 Maserati A6 GCS-53 penned by Pininfarina. It packed a bold, toothy grille beneath an extended nose, a pair of squinty bi-xenon-LED headlamps, and a rear-end carved and sculpted around side air ducts. It was painted in "Steel Flair" with a generous number of Maserati Blue accents.
"Though not yet at the final prototype stage, it has nevertheless been conceived, designed and created in an approach aimed at 100 percent realism," Maserati said at the time, hinting that the final design may not differ too drastically from the concept.
One thing that will change is the engine. The concept car borrowed the GranTurismo's 460-hp 4.7-liter V8, but the production coupe and convertible will be powered by three V6 options. A 410-hp V6 rear-wheel drive variant will serve as the base trim, with 450- and 520-hp V6 AWD versions adding extra power at the pedal.
Another aspect that seems ripe to undergo serious modification is the cabin. The Geneva design was classically conceptual, with a minimalistic structure and suspended dashboard. That interior will certainly become a bit more road-ready before production.
For those wondering, the next-gen GranTurismo will carry a 560+ hp V8 engine driving its rear wheels, and the Levante, Quattroporte and Ghibli will eventually offer that engine as their most powerful AWD option. The AWD Levante will also have 350- and 425-hp gas V6 options, along with three diesel options between 250 and 340 hp.
Source: Fiat Group/Maserati
