Maserati Ghibli News

Ferrari and Maserati will re-enter Adelaide's new car market early next year on the back of a boom in luxury car sales across the country. Solitaire Automotive Group will unveil a new state-of-the-art Maserati showroom in the first quarter of next year after winning exclusive dealership rights for the Trident brand, while Adelaide Motors is finalising designs for its Ferrari showroom which is due to open on Hindley St soon after.The Fiat stablemates have been absent from Adelaide's new car market since November 2011, when previous dealer Prestige Formula was downgraded. Strict guidelines from their Italian headquarters have meant a lengthy design process for the new boutique showrooms.Solitaire Maserati will be located at the former Lexus site at Parkside - part of a plan to deliver an eightfold increase in SA sales by 2016. Solitaire managing director David Smoker said Maserati was a good fit with the dealer's other luxury brands which included Aston Martin, Bentley, Jaguar and Land Rover.'We've had a fair bit of success with our luxury sports brands - the people of Adelaide have an appreciation for luxury sports cars," he said. Sales of supercars in Australia are up 72 per cent since the lows of the global financial crisis with enthusiasts snapping up more than 190 exotic cars per month this year.In the first 10 months of this year a total of 85 new cars were sold across the Aston Martin, Bentley, Ferrari, Lotus, Maserati, McLaren and Porsche brands in South Australia - up 12 per cent from last year. Maserati's ambitious three-year plan to reach annual Australian sales of 1350 vehicles will be led by two new four door models - the Quattroporte and the Ghibli which will both be on show at the new Solitaire showroom.The sedans will be followed by the 2015 launch of the Levante, a high performance SUV. However, according to Ferrari Australasia chief executive Herbert Appleroth, the prancing horse is taking a slightly different approach, keeping a close eye on volumes as it seeks greater exclusivity.'While we have reduced our global production down from 7500 cars to 7000 in 2013, the Australasian deliveries will be similar in 2013 as compared to 2012," he said. 'We expect South Australia to see high levels of growth as we have not been represented in Adelaide for a number of years." Maserati owner Pam Russo expects the new four-door range to strike a chord with Adelaide buyers.I'm a believer that everyone deserves a little luxury and in my family's case it's a Maserati," she said. 

Demand for luxury cars has put Maserati on the curve of a wave that has swelled global orders to 22,500 cars, equivalent to four times its 2012 sales.Ghibli and a new Quattroporte are the catalysts but, without these models, it's not yet the case in Australia. Australia's upper large, $100,000-plus segment in which these new Maseratis will play is now up 12.8 per cent year-to-date - the only passenger-car segment aside from small cars to post a two-digit growth."We won't see Quattroporte - except for some of the very first order that are here before Christmas - in volume until the first quarter of 2014," says Maserati Australia general manager Glen Sealey."Ghibli will be here in the second quarter of next year." Mr Sealey says Australia is still waiting for the big wave because "we tend to be about 12 months behind Europe and the US in sales.""That's because we get new models some time after they're launched in Italy," he says. "The new Quattroporte has been in Europe for some months and the Ghibli is now on sale there."Mr Sealey says Maserati Australia is in a strong position despite not having stock. "We have the best year ever for GranTurismo but the problem is we are out of stock," he says. "We sell about 150 Maseratis a year in Australia and New Zealand with three models. The Quattroporte isn't available until the new model and GranCabrio stock is selling quickly."Mr Sealey says sales for Australia this year will be stable but he says 2014 - the marque's centenary - will be a record. "Ghibli will open up a new segment for us and new Quattroporte will rejuvenate the luxury car sector," he says. "The first few months of Ghibli stock has already been sold out. We are also holding strong orders for Quattroporte."It is in line with Maserati's plan to reach 50,000 sales a year by 2015, though the Mirafiori plant in Torino which will build the Levante SUV is yet to be finished." Mr Sealey expects Levante to add up to 50 per cent of Maserati's annual Australian sales. "It's a massive market segment," he says.Levante is expected in Australia by mid-2015. Maserati stated today that it is holding 17,000 orders for the Quattroporte and 7900 for Ghibli. It also has 5000 orders for the GranTurismo and GranCabrio. "Maserati is well on target to see sales for 2013 beating its best every year 9000 sales in 2008 and with such a full order book, that record is set to be broken again in 2014, when Maserati celebrates its 100th birthday," the company said in a statement."The demand for Maserati products worldwide is a spectacular vindication of the decision to invest 1.5 billion euros (about $2 billion) in the new range and a new state of the art factory to produce the Quattroporte and Ghibli so that the existing factory in Modena can concentrate on meeting the demand for Maserati sports cars."With yet another all-new Maserati model to come, the Maserati Levante, which will take the Italian car maker into the lucrative performance and luxury SUV market, Maserati is clearly on target to meet its goal of 50,000 sales worldwide by 2015."

The recently revealed 2014 Maserati Ghibli has been spotted for the first time in public, and we’re glad to report that the upcoming Italian sports sedan looks even better on the road than it did under the auto show spotlights. This time the Ghibli sports a striking blue finish, which we suspect will be its new hero colour. This particular car was spotted during an official shoot, presumably for a new advertisement or promotional video, which is said to have taken place in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.   YouTube user TheMAXIMUMCARS also happened to film the car and was fortunate enough to upload this video for all to see. It gives us the chance to see the Ghibli in motion, with its daytime running lights and brake lights on. We also get to hear the growl of the car’s twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V-6 for the first time. The car’s numberplate reveals that this is the more potent Ghibli S, which develops 548 Newton metres of torque and can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 5.0 seconds. The “301 KW” in the number plate represents the car’s 301-kilowatt power rating. The Ghibli will also be offered with a 242 kilowatt version of the turbo V-6 engine and overseas buyers will also have the option of a 202 kilowatt V-6 turbodiesel. All of the Ghibli's engines are built by Ferrari and all of them come matched to an eight-speed automatic transmission. www.motorauthority.com  

A BMW-chasing mid-size Maserati is tasked with being the vital cog in an extraordinary plan to boost sales by more than eight times. Maserati this week debuted its first mid-size sedan, the Ghibli, at the Shanghai motor show and claims it will sell 20,000 a year by 2015. In fact, Maserati wants a total of 50,000 sales in 2015 - more than eight times the 6200 units sold in 2012. Company chief executive Harald Wester is dead serious about the prediction that flies in the face of a massive car sales retraction in Europe. Wester agrees that since the recent sales peak of about 9000 annual Maserati sales of 2008, the market has plummeted. “Italy has been our Number 2 market for seven years up to 2008 when we sold about 900 cars,’‘ Wester says. “Last year, in Italy, we sold less than 100 cars.’’ Wester is clinical in his outlook but says the Ghibli, the new Quattroporte (on which the Ghibli is based) and the 2015 debut of Maserati’s first SUV, the Levante, will be so well received by buyers that sales of the company will hit 50,000 for 2015. “We’re doing cars better for our customers,’‘ he says. “The engine, the transmissions, the size of the cars and the price, will all meet the requests of our customers. “The old Quattroporte, for example, didn’t meet the requests of buyers. It had a size issue, it had an engine that was to big for the market and it was only available as a rear drive. “Now we move into a new Quattroporte with a selection of engines, all-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive, new levels of equipment. It satisfies markets like North America and Europe where if we don’t have an all-wheel drive, we don’t have a sale. “The Quattroporte appeals to a far bigger audience than before.’’ Though the emphasis is on the Quattroporte, Wester says the mid-size Ghibli will have ‘’substantially’’ more sales than its bigger sister. The Ghibli is the first mid-size four-door sports luxury sedan in Maserati’s 100 year history. It goes on sale in Australia in early 2014 from about $160,000 and follows the third-quarter release of the new Quattroporte. Australian importer Ateco says Maserati’s global 2015 target of 50,000 cars a year will be matched by local sales of about 1400 in 2016. Wester says the Ghibli is heavily based on the Quattroporte, using the same platform - but shortened by 200mm - and common suspension and drivetrain components. He says the Ghibli will have engine options of two 3-litre turbo-petrols and a 3-litre turbo-diesel. The three are built by - and related to - Ferrari products. Both V6 petrols have a bi-turbo system and are based on the Quattroporte’s V8. The higher-spec version will also be available as an optional powerplant in the Quattroporte. This engine produces 310kW/550Nm and allows the car to hit 100km/h from rest in only 4.8 seconds. The second petrol is slightly detuned with 243kW/500Nm and a sprint of 5.6 seconds. It claims 9.6 L/100km. The 202kW/600Nm 3-litre turbo-diesel is a Chrysler-VM engine though has been “enhanced’’ - says Wester - by Ferrari and is capable of less than 6 litres/100km and a 0-100km/h time of 6.3 seconds. The diesel represents not only a first for Maserati, but possibly the first time Ferrari has worked on a diesel engine for one of its family cars. “Diesel engine represent 75 per cent of the large-car segment in Europe ,’’ Wester says. “Buyers in Italy, for example, are more interested in the car’s size and the engine - they’re not interested in 500 horsepower.' “This is also a time of new engines. The old engines were normally-aspirated, big capacity, high revs and conventional technologies.“The new engines have two turbochargers, smaller capacities and direct injection. We are also seeing technologies of petrol and diesel engines getting closer and closer.’’ All Ghibli engines pick up improved economy and performance thanks to their eight-speed automatic transmission. “We have been accused on not being faithful to our roots,’’ Wester says. “But the Ghibli is everything we stand for. It remains an exclusive product. It is a car for someone outside the mainstream.’’ Maserati expects the Ghibli will contribute 20,000 units to its predicted 50,000 annual sales in 2015. The Quattroporte will deliver an estimated 10,000 sales and the new Levante SUV, based on the Jeep Grand Cherokee which is part of the new Fiat-Chrysler family, will sell at a rate of 20,000 a year. This is the third time the Ghibli name has been worn on a Maserati, though the first applied to a sedan. But Maserati nods to its predecessors by giving the Ghibli a couple-like style, especially around the C-pillar. It shares most of the dashboard design with the Quattroporte - one of the first signs of the commonality of the two models - while the shortened wheelbase crimps rear-seat room back to the same accommodation as the Audi A6 and BMW 5-Series. The Ghibli also continues Maserati’s dedication to an aural symphony. Like the petrol models, the diesel also gets the Maserati Active Sound system comprising two sound actuators fitted near the exhaust tailpipes that  accentuate the engine sound. Ghibli also shares Quattroporte’s suspension system with a double-wishbone front suspension and multi-link rear suspension with the option of the active Skyhook system, part-time all-wheel drive and sport-spec suspension damping. The Ghibli also has a standard mechanical limited slip differential to maximise traction.  

It appears Maserati’s mystery teaser for this month’s 2013 Shanghai motor show was in fact depicting the automaker’s upcoming Ghibli sedan, which has already been spied in prototype form for several months and was rumored to be debuting at the Chinese show. After an early leak, Maserati has now revealed its Ghibli and provided some initial details. These images, plus our own spy shots, confirm that Maserati designers have gone with a coupe-like profile for the latest Ghibli. This coupe styling, plus the long hood, is reminiscent of the original Ghibli, which was a sporty, two-door GT. The powerful rear fenders of the car, on the other hand, look similar to those found on the latest 2014 Maserati Quattroporte, while up front, the nose and grille section appears to protrude much farther than on Maserati’s bigger sedan. The interior has also been revealed; it exhibits a sporty, distinctly Italian design, with some elements also borrowed from the more upmarket Quattroporte in addition to plenty of carbon fiber to denote its sportier positioning in the Maserati lineup. Sales of new Maserati sedan will commence late in the year, making the Ghibli a 2014 model. The reason for the speedy rollout is due to Maserati’s ambitions growth plans, with the automaker hoping to boost its annual sales almost 10-fold to as much as 50,000 units per year by the middle of the decade. To speed up development, the Ghibli shares most of its underpinnings with the Quattroporte, including engines, transmissions and Maserati’s available Q4 all-wheel-drive system. In fact, the two cars were largely developed side by side. At launch, the Ghibli will be available with two turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 engines, the more powerful of which will develop 297 kW. Overseas, the car will also come with a 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel option, likely to be the same VM Motori unit fitted to a number of Fiat and Chrysler vehicles. This makes the Ghibli the first production Maserati to feature a diesel engine. www.motorauthority.com  

It's the mid-sized Ghibli, which soon joins the Italian lineup ahead of the arrival of the SUV called Levante. Details will be revealed soon, but the new Maserati is expected to tap Chrysler technology - through the Fiat-Chrysler partnership - including a turbocharged 3.5-litre Pentastar V6 engine.It will arrive later this year priced at less than $100,000. 

Despite only being formally announced six months ago, Maserati’s upcoming ‘baby’ sedan, the Ghibli, will reportedly be revealed as early as April’s 2013 Shanghai Auto Show.