The most recent concept car from the brand with the Trident is not only a showcase of their stylistic future, but also a revelation of Maserati’s strategy going forward.
When Maserati decided to bring out a concept car at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, they knew that they would have the world’s attention on them – expecting to hear details about future product development.
For this reason, they decided to shelve a more imaginative project than the Alfieri – a compact Maserati Barchetta – said to be pretty amazing by those who have seen the first sketch. The fact is that a car like this simply wouldn’t be easily achievable for the brand in its current phase of consolidation. At present, it can’t afford to be accused of inconsistency. So, it was better to bring a less extreme, but still beautiful, concept to the show – the Alfieri. The name pays homage to the founder of the brand, Alfieri Maserati. The design of the Alfieri is created by the 25-year old prodigy, Quentin Love – under the direction of Marco Tencone and Lorenzo Ramaciotti.
Introduction: between 2016 & 2017. At least, this was the timeline in the plan laid out by Sergio Marchionne in October 2012, which had listed the introduction of a fifth model in Maserati’s range. The other four are the latest Quattroporte and Ghibli, the Levante SUV (expected in 2015), and the GranTurismo (including the GranCabrio) – with a new generation of the car expected at the beginning of 2016. Now we’ll have to see if the new plan by the Fiat-Chrysler group – expected in early May 2014 – will confirm this pattern and stick to the respective dates. It’s pretty certain that that there is a great desire for a second generation of the GranTurismo within the Maserati brand. “With the arrival of the Ghibli, a sports sedan, one could argue that a true 4-seater coupe doesn’t make sense anymore, and that it could be replaced by a compact 2+2,” said an inside source. According to Marco Tencone, however, Maserati Head of Design, there would be room for both.
It’s still unclear what platform the Alfieri would be based upon. The concept version, a little longer than four-and-a-half meters, is derived from the Ferrari California. However, a GranTurismo transaxle platform shortened by 24cm maybe likely to be used in the production version. In fact, it might even use the 460bhp 4.7-litre V8 engine from its older sister.
Italian Purity
The Alfieri got a standing ovation at the Geneva Motor Show. Its pure lines, the long hood, and the rearward cabin position recalls the classic Italian school of design. Keep an eye on the front of the car, as we can expect future models to follow this design language
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