Five new Maseratis due by 2015
07 December 2012
- Maserati to launch five new models
- New Quattroporte arrives first, in June 2013
- 5 Series rival, SUV and sports cars to follow
Maserati is set to launch a blitz of new models that will increase its sales tenfold by 2015, company boss Harald Wester has told What Car?.
The all-new Quattroporte luxury saloon, which will go on sale in June, is the first of a glut of new cars. Next will be a smaller BMW Series-rivalling saloon, the Ghibli, which will be revealed in the middle of 2013.
Wester also admitted that it will be the first Maserati to be sold with a diesel engine. He said: 'Otherwise we will sell no cars in Europe.'
Company insiders have previously admitted that engine is likely to be a modified version of the 3.0-litre V6 diesel used in the Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Like the Quattroporte, the Ghibli will be available in both rear- and four-wheel-drive variants. Company design boss Lorenzo Ramaciotti told What Car? that it would have 'more aggressive styling and be more wedge-shaped' than the new Quattroporte, although there will be plenty of family resemblance. 
New Quattroporte will be the first of a number of new Maserati models due over the next three years
The company will also be venturing into the SUV market with the Levante in mid-2014. Previewed by the 2011 Kubang concept car, it will use the same architecture as the Jeep Grand Cherokee, but will be heavily modified by Maserati engineers to provide a much sportier driving experience and more luxurious interior. 
Kubang concept car gives a good idea of how the new Levante SUV will look
Mr Wester also revealed that two new sports cars will be launched by 2015. The first will be a replacement for the current Granturismo and Grancabrio, which according to design boss Ramaciotti will be smaller than the current car: 'more 2+2 like a Jaguar XK than the current four-seater.'
The second is likely to be a smaller two-seat sports car which could compete with the Porsche 911 and forthcoming Jaguar F-type.
By Chas Hallett
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