The twin turbochargers feeding the 410 horsepower 3.0 liter V6 ensures the Maserati Ghibli is more than just pretty curves and strong sales show it.
Following in the footsteps of its Fiat stablemate, Ferrari, Maserati plans to limit global sales to 75,000 vehicles. However, in this case, the cart may be before the horse, as Maserati isn’t expected to reach that mark until 2018.
Ferrari famously capped sales at 7,000 units last year. Maserati sold about 15,400 cars last year and expects to see that number double this year on the strength of the new Ghibli and redesigned Quattroporte. And it had one of the hands-down favorites at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show with its Alfieri Coupe Concept, which is now slated to be in production in 2016.
It will join the brand’s first-ever SUV, the Levante, which shares the basic underpinnings of the popular Jeep Grand Cherokee – but which will draw power from a Ferrari-derived powertrain.
Also on tap, a new version of the Maserati GranTurismo scheduled for 2018, the replacement model to boast a new 560-horsepower V-8 engine, also based on a Ferrari powertrain. Expect to see that V-8 work its way into other key Maserati models, including the Levante and Quattroporte.
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In all, expect to see a total of six new Maserati models, the automaker also set to benefit from a new range of powertrains that include not only that gas-fired V-8 but new diesels, as well. Capping sales makes sense, if the company is making money in the eyes of some.
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“If it is profitable at 75,000 and doesn’t require a significant investment in capacity to get there, this appears to be sound,” AutoPacific Analyst Dave Sullivan told Autoblog.com in an email. “Alfa Romeo is intended to be the volume brand and by capping Maserati, it means that even if you opted to buy the ‘entry level’ Ghibli, you still have a level of exclusivity.”