It’s no secret that Maserati will build the Alfieri concept car, but we now have new details about the model scheduled to debut in 2016.
Sitting at the core of the Maserati brand, the Alfieri will retain the name of the concept when it debuts in 2016 as a coupe and in 2017 as a convertible. “While we don’t expect it to be a big seller we do expect it to anchor all values that are core to Maserati, and have a halo effect in drawing customers to us,” Maserati’s UK marketing director James Cowan told Autocar.
Arriving a year after the Levante SUV, the Alfieri “will be as desirable as a Jaguar F-Type or Porsche 911 but considerably more exclusive, and as a result special,” the executive added.
Unlike the concept car, which was based on the platform of the current GranTurismo, the production version of the Alfieri will be based on an adapted version of the architecture used by the Ghibli and Quattroporte.
The entry level rear-wheel drive model will be powered by a 404hp turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine, while all-wheel drive models will offer upgraded versions of the same unit producing 444hp and 513hp. Both the coupe and convertible will use the same engines. In the UK, prices will start from around £60,000 ($93,840).
There will be no V8 option for the Alfieri, as a 3.8-liter turbo V8 with more than 552hp will be reserved for the next-generation GranTurismo coupe, scheduled to arrive in 2018. The GranTurismo will also be based on the Ghibli/Quattroporte platform and is likely to be rear-wheel drive only.
There’s no mention of a GranCabrio though in Maserati’s five-year plan, which probably means the Alfieri convertible will cover that segment.
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