Maserati has pushed back the launch of the Alfieri sports car once again to early next decade in a shake up of the firm’s future range.
According to Autocar, the next-generation GranTurismo and GranCabrio will now arrive 2018-2019 before the Alfieri in 2020-2021. This comes despite the fact that Maserati originally intended on launching the Alfieri in 2016.
While speaking with the publication, general manager of Maserati Europe, Giulio Pastore confirmed the news, “The Granturismo and Grancabrio will not be dropped. We won’t forget that Maserati is very well known in its history for beautiful 2+2 GT cars and we will replace them, then the Alfieri.”
No explanation has been given for why Maserati will now launch new GranTurismo and GranCabrio models before the Alfieri’s arrival but Pastore’s comments suggest the marque is in no rush to launch a dedicated two-door sports car, saying its final design may not be signed off until 2018.
Despite the model’s delayed launch, Pastore said the Alfieri has already proved important for the brand, with its design, particularly front grille, influencing the designs of both the Ghibli and Levante.