Monday 28th March 2011

All-New Maserati Quattroporte Set For Frankfurt

New saloon will be first part of ambitious product plan - and a push to building 20,000 cars per year

---

Quattroporte not long for this world

Maserati is due to unveil the replacement for the ageing beauty that is the Quattroporte saloon at the Frankfurt motor show this autumn, at least according to rumours swirling round the webosphere at the moment.

The new car, which is codenamed M156, will use an updated version of the current 4.7-litre V8 - massaged almost inevitably for better fuel economy and emissions figures - while the styling is expected to be influenced by the look of the GranTurismo.

But an all-new Quattroporte isn't the only new Maserati on the way. The company has bold ambitions to push sales to 20,000 units a year (last year it managed 5675 cars, while its record year was 2008, with just under 8600 cars built) and to help it achieve this it plans to add a smaller saloon to the range in 2014.

This car - known in Maserati-speak for now as the M157 - will eventually take on the higher echelons of the BMW 5-series and Mercedes E-class market segments, while the new Quattroporte will be pushed a little further upmarket than the current model.

The final prong of Maserati's new-model initiative will be the Luxury SUV idea that the company has toyed with for so long (the Maserati Kubang concept - pictured, right - was doing the rounds way back in 2003). This has finally come to fruition thanks to parent company Fiat's tie-in with the Chrysler Group - the new SUV is expected to share its platform architecture with Jeep models.

All of which is excitingly ambitious, but it does leave us with one burning question unanswered: if the Quattroporte name means simply 'four-door', what will Maserati call the smaller saloon?

[louismchuge]

Quattroporte Leggermente più piccoli

[chazwozza]

That SUV looks horrific. Perfect for footballers wives. Is the Jeep platform any good?
Surely it would need massive modification to make it suitable for being the underpinnings of a Maser?

[Luca Brasi]

Please don't do an SUV Maserati.

[Dagnut]

chazwozza said:

That SUV looks horrific. Perfect for footballers wives. Is the Jeep platform any good?
Surely it would need massive modification to make it suitable for being the underpinnings of a Maser?

Does it matter if it's any good?

[cookie1600]

if the Quattroporte name means simply 'four-door', what will Maserati call the smaller saloon?

Cat flap?

[Riggers]

louismchuge said:

Quattroporte Leggermente più piccoli

...ma non troppo... (not sure if that's right)

[crostonian]

Quattroportini means four little doors

[nouze]

articlenting said:

Maserati is due to unveil the replacement for the ageing beauty that is the Quattroporte saloon

Ageing? They could keep producing current model for another 20 years and it would still be one of the sexiest designs. Everytime I see one it makes me

[Cheeky Jim]

Hopefully the existing one will drop further in price on the 2nd hand market and then I might just one day afford it!!

[djmgreen]

PocoPorte

[RJDM3]

Quattroporte...Sexy??? Did you put them two words into the same sentence?

[Riggers]

nouze said:

Ageing? They could keep producing current model for another 20 years and it would still be one of the sexiest designs. Everytime I see one it makes me

I agree entirely. Just because it's ageing doesn't mean it's not beautiful...

[PascalBuyens]

Luca Brasi said:

Please don't do an SUV Maserati.

+1.

They shouldn't make the same mistake as De Tomaso is doing (bringout an SUV that looks like a beaten up S40)...

[marcosgt]

Can't say I feel the Quattroporte's a well proportioned car, unlike the Gran Turismo.

It's a good idea and an interesting alternative to an XJ or an S-Klasse (Which shows zero imagination, especially in silver... ).

Will be interesting (if nothing else for a Pauper like me) to see if the replacement can be a real beauty.

M.

[louismchuge]

RJDM3 said:

Quattroporte...Sexy??? Did you put them two words into the same sentence?

[Riggers]

louismchuge said:

RJDM3 said:

Quattroporte...Sexy??? Did you put them two words into the same sentence?

for RJDM3, I reckon...

[chazwozza]

Dagnut said:

chazwozza said:

That SUV looks horrific. Perfect for footballers wives. Is the Jeep platform any good?
Surely it would need massive modification to make it suitable for being the underpinnings of a Maser?

Does it matter if it's any good?

I'm guessing you're pointing towards the fact that they will never be driven off-road...if so you have a fair point, but also I would have thought a Maser SUV would have to be slighlty sporty to drive and can't imagine something based on a jeep would be as such...

[Lightningman]

cookie1600 said:

if the Quattroporte name means simply 'four-door', what will Maserati call the smaller saloon?

Cat flap?

As for the "Kubang", WTF!

[Pork]

The current QP is stunning. It doesnt look like its a 7 year old design, which is essentially is (or more?).

The only plus side of bringing in a newer version is that the current car will drop in value. Throw in the mix the sound that V8 makes, particularly in GT S mode, and you've got a sublime 4-door IMO.

[RJDM3]

Riggers said:

for RJDM3, I reckon...

inside of the car is beautiful, but that front end i cannot forgive