Maserati to hunt Porsche and Tesla with new Alfieri supercar

Maserati is eyeing a hallowed place atop the world’s supercar podium, name-checking Porsche and Tesla while announcing its all-new Alfieri hypercar that's capable of demolishing the sprint to 100km/h in “the two-second range”. 

That would make it properly and ridiculously quick. So fast, in fact, it would be shoulder-to-shoulder with Porsche’s 918 Spyder, the Ferrari LaFerrari and the Lamborghini Huracán Performante, not to mention the Tesla Model S P100D.

Announced at FCA’s investor day in Italy (where Maserati honchos outlined a detailed five-year plan for the brand) the Alfieri will spearhead a new product rush between now and 2022. It will be joined by a new D-size SUV, and new versions of the Quattroporte and Levante - both of which will also be offered in full-electric guise. 

“With an all-new full-size SUV and an all-new full-size sedan, and our first new mid-size SUV, from a portfolio standpoint, it might look Maserati is trying to be Porsche,” says brand boss Tim Kuniskis.

“And with an all-electric SUV, an all-electric full-size sedan, and an all-electric supercar, it might look like we’re trying to be Tesla. 

“We are."

The Alfieri (first shown as a concept car at the 2014 Geneva show), which will be available in both coupe and cabrio guise, is not just Maserati’s first real supercar in more than a decade, but a 300km/h-plus road rocket that would form a new and lofty halo for the Italian luxury brand.

Maserati's Alfieri pictured in the brand's five-year-plan documents

“We will show them the purest definition of what it means to wear the Trident badge with an all-new halo car, the Alfieri,” Kuniskis says.

“This new vehicle will be built on an all-new aluminium spaceframe for lightness and rigidity, outstanding vehicle dynamics and a low centre of gravity. It will also allow us to offer thee powertrains, including a plug-in hybrid with E-all-wheel drive.

“And for those of you seeking performance figures, this car will offer an unparalleled combination of both luxury and performance, with zero-to-100km/h in the two-second range.”

Maserati also confirmed its intention to completely eliminate diesel engines, instead focussing on hybrids, plug-in hybrids and full-electric cars in its pursuit of clean performance. And stablemate Ferrari will be solely responsible for providing all future drivetrains - which sheds more than a little bit of light on the Prancing Horse’s future plans, too - which Maserati claims will help push it to 100,000 annual sales by 2022.

“We are going to accomplish this by bringing to market something that nothing in the industry can match; an exclusive partnership wth the most aspirational brand in the industry,” Kuniskis says.

“All future Maserati powertrains will be supplied by Ferrari. Each and every new product will take Maserati to the next level by offering exclusive Ferrari powertrains across every vehicle and every powertrain configuration - hybrids, plug-in hybrids and even full battery electric.”