Friday 25th April 2014

Maserati to build Alfieri?

Maserati sales are soaring in its centenary year; surely reason to put the Alfieri into production!

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Shed's got his eye on a lusty Italian this morning but he may wish to lift his gaze from £1,000 Alfas towards more exotic Latin fare.

When Maserati announced it planned to be selling 50,000 cars a year by 2015 off the back of unveiling the new Quattroporte in 2013 eyebrows were raised. Just a couple of years back Maserati was selling fewer cars than Ferrari, the latter's production deliberately capped to around 7,000 per year as part of Luca di Montezemolo's policy of maintaining exclusivity to maximise profit.

Centenary edition GranTurismo just launched

Maserati has a different plan though; it's chasing volume and sees the Quattroporte and Ghibli as the means of achieving it. And the plan would seem to be working, 2013 seeing a 148 per cent increase in sales to 15,400 cars with boasts of advance orders of 13,000 cars apiece for both Quattroporte and Ghibli by the close of 2013. GranTurismo and GranCabrio sales apparently remain steady and just shy of 5,000 units per year.

Suitably emboldened is Maserati going to give the green light to the Alfieri concept unveiled to pretty much universal acclaim at Geneva earlier in the year? 4WheelsNews would appear to think so, reporting a 331 per cent increase in US sales alone for the first quarter of 2014 and extra shifts at the Maserati factory to meet demand for Quattroportes and Ghiblis.

And wouldn't the Alfieri sit nicely in that range, while also positioning the brand in the heartland of rivals like the 911 and F-Type... Given Maserati and Jaguar are chasing a similar goal of offering a more emotive alternative to the dominant Germans you'd have to say it's the latter who'll have the most food for thought, given sales last year of 76,668. Indeed, an emboldened Maserati, flushed with centenary pride and with a production Alfieri and the long-promised SUV could present a serious rearguard threat.

We'll leave that to the suits though. Right now we just like the idea of a production Alfieri!

[Sources: 4WheelsNews, Wall Street Journal]

 

[MonteV]

50,000 Maserati's a year is the aim, from the current 15,000 or so. Looking forward to the Diesel Alfieri. At least it'll look good.

[Lord_Howit_Hertz]

I'm really not sure about this for the Brand, 50,000 is a big jump from current production in just 12 months. I feel like something will suffer.

Although capping the Gran Turismo production is a good call, helps keep its a little exclusive, also in my opinion one of the best looking cars on the market today.

[lewisf182]

Maserati really are making the best looking cars out there at the moment IMO (the F type is a close second if not equal). Hugely desirable brand and they are going about everything the right way to take the fight to the germans. Who would pick a 5 series, a6 or E class over a Ghibli? I know I wouldn't, the Ghibli is stunning and with the new engines on offer they should be able to compete well, especially if they get the leasing values right.

[LuS1fer]

Not a fan of Maseratis but I do like that.
But what's it all about, Alfieri?

[Roma101]

That looks stunning IMO!

[chelme]

lewisf182 said:

Maserati really are making the best looking cars out there at the moment IMO (the F type is a close second if not equal). Hugely desirable brand and they are going about everything the right way to take the fight to the germans. Who would pick a 5 series, a6 or E class over a Ghibli? I know I wouldn't, the Ghibli is stunning and with the new engines on offer they should be able to compete well, especially if they get the leasing values right.

I have to agree. There is a real resurgence with this brand.Not sure the Ghibli is objectively the better car in that group, but if they build the Alfieri (for those that don't know, it is the forename of one of the founding brothers)and it looks and performs as well as this concept looks, they'll have a winner. Makes the F-type look slab sided and dated already!

[GTEYE]

lewisf182 said:

Maserati really are making the best looking cars out there at the moment IMO (the F type is a close second if not equal). Hugely desirable brand and they are going about everything the right way to take the fight to the germans. Who would pick a 5 series, a6 or E class over a Ghibli? I know I wouldn't, the Ghibli is stunning and with the new engines on offer they should be able to compete well, especially if they get the leasing values right.

Would their current dealer network truly let them take the fight to the Germans though? Part of the less obvious hold that the Germans have on the UK market is that they have dealers in virtually every primary location. It would certainly put me off if the nearest dealer was a 50 mile+ drive away. Alright on a supercar, perhaps not on a 5 Series rival.

[Esseesse]

Lord_Howit_Hertz said:

I feel like something will suffer.

Already has IMO. Look at the new Quattroporte compared to the last of the previous design. Look at the engines in them too .

New:





Old:

[Contigo]

Finally a contender to replace my 3200 in 15 years!

[Contigo]

LuS1fer said:

Not a fan of Maseratis but I do like that.
But what's it all about, Alfieri?

It wasn't funny the first time

[Pistachio]

Contigo said:

LuS1fer said:

Not a fan of Maseratis but I do like that.
But what's it all about, Alfieri?

It wasn't funny the first time

Does that mean they will do a Cilla Black Edition ??!!!!

[V6Alfisti]

Esseesse said:

Already has IMO. Look at the new Quattroporte compared to the last of the previous design. Look at the engines in them too .

Agreed, the old quattroporte is far more attractive/maserati to my eyes. The latest car could be any old generic brand from the outside (without the maserati grill)

However I suspect this is what the market likes...bland.

[E65Ross]

chelme said:

I have to agree. There is a real resurgence with this brand.Not sure the Ghibli is objectively the better car in that group, but if they build the Alfieri (for those that don't know, it is the forename of one of the founding brothers)and it looks and performs as well as this concept looks, they'll have a winner. Makes the F-type look slab sided and dated already!

Judging by the reviews I've watched and read it say anyone remotely sensible would buy a 5 series over a ghibli....

[Blib]

Not forgetting that the new QP is huuuuuuuuuggggggeeeeeeee. When I saw it at last year's Classic Car Show, the guys on the stand said that it wasn't designed for Europe. Instead, it was aimed at China and Brazil.

[leedsutd1]

If I could afford a Maserati ,which I cant the depreciation of there other cars would scare me off,
the Quattroporte cost £100,000 but when they were 5 years old were £16,000 . They got good press on car programmes at the time.

[macdeb]

Roma101 said:

That looks stunning IMO!

+1 Fantastic looking car. If they do, I hope it's exactly the same
Massers' are cool.

[AKA PABS]

Looks like a z4m Coup to me.

[E65Ross]

AKA PABS said:

Looks like a z4m Coup to me.

Erm, what?!

[exocet ape]

E65Ross said:

Erm, what?!

Must be doing that squinty look thing...

looks squintily sees.....

Edited by exocet ape on Friday 25th April 23:12

[Amirhussain]

The paint on this is fking sexxyy