Maserati Boss Denies Development of LaFerrari Sibling

Maserati CEO Harald Wester denied reports that the Modena-based carmaker will develop its own version of the Ferrari LaFerrari supercar.

According to an Edmunds report, at the launch of the Maserati Quattroporte V6, Wester dismissed stories about the project as unfounded, although Maserati had in the past built its own derivative of Ferrari’s Enzo, the MC12. However, the CEO confirmed that Maserati plans to offer new limited-edition models, although he did not offer further details.

Maserati doesn’t lack the means to build special-series models at its Modena plant in Italy, which has been designated to build the Alfa Romeo 4C mid-engined sports car and has previously built the Alfa 8C Competizione, in both coupe and convertible variants.

The Italians aim to lift their annual sales from 6,300 to 50,000 by 2015, thanks to new models like the Ghibli sedan and Levante SUV, as well as renewed models like the Quattroporte. Maserati is also counting on rapidly growing sales in China and expansion in its traditional markets, such as the United States.

Wester said that Maserati has received more than 1,800 orders for the new Quattroporte from the U.S., with 2,850 orders coming from China and 640 from Europe. This brings total Quattroporte orders for the first four months of the year to more than 6,100. Orders for the entire range, including the GranTurismo, GranCabrio and Ghibli, top 10,000.

The Ghibli will be built in Maserati’s Grugliasco plant in Turin, which has an annual capacity of 37,800 units. The company is also expanding its dealer network to boost sales, with the number of U.S. outlets set to rise from 64 to 85 by the end of 2014.

By Dan Mihalascu

Maserati Rendering Courtesy of Anton Gjorsev

PHOTO GALLERY