Maserati to unveil all-new Ghibli sedan at Shanghai Auto Show
The small Maserati family welcomed a new car to the lineup Tuesday, as the company announced the all-new Ghibli sedan.
The midsize sedan is aimed at cars like the BMW 5-Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Lexus GS, and Cadillac CTS. It joins the larger Quattroporte sedan and the GranTurismo coupe and convertible in the Maserati fleet.
The new addition is part of Maserati’s goal to sell annually 50,000 vehicles worldwide by 2015. In 2012, the company sold 6,300 cars. The automaker hopes to reach this ambitious plan by moving into more volume segments, including the midsize class with the Ghibli, and the SUV segment with the forthcoming Levante.
Due in 2014, the Levante will share a platform with the Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee. Maserati is owned by Fiat, which also owns a majority stake of Chrysler.
The Ghibli (rhymes with bib-li) will have a 404-horsepower, turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 engine and an eight-speed automatic transmission. It will be available in either rear-wheel or all-wheel-drive when it hits the U.S. market in late 2013.
Maserati will also offer the Ghibli in foreign markets with a 3.0-liter turbodiesel engine, but company spokesman Jeffrey Ehoodin said the Italian automaker hasn’t decided whether it will bring that engine to the U.S.
The Ghibli will make its world debut at the Shanghai Auto Show on April 20. It will join the larger 2013 Quattroporte sedan, which is making its Chinese debut at the show. The all-new Quattroporte made its world debut at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show.
This isn’t the first time Maserati has used the Ghibli name. In the late 1960s, the automaker sold a two-door coupe and convertible under the name, and it resurrected Ghibli the early 1990s as a coupe.
ALSO:
Mullin Museum extends exhibit of classic Voisin cars
Porsche refreshes Panamera lineup, adds plug-in hybrid model
World’s first 2014 Corvette Stingray Convertible sells for $1 million
