We already know that the Maserati Quattroporte will be getting a smaller engine in order to reduce fuel consumption, which is something that is quite a trend nowadays. But while the Quattroporte’s competitors, such as the Audi A8 and the Porsche Panamera 4, are making their vehicles longer, Maserati says that their sedan "will not get any bigger."
"Even though our rivals – such as the new Audi A8 – are getting longer, we have to keep it as a sporty alternative," said Fiat design boss Lorenzo Ramaciotti. The new model made its official debut today, and as Maserati officially announced it will combine old and new in an attempt to create a model that will help the Italian company to achieve their sales goal of 50,000 units a year by 2015.
(11/06/12)Maserati has unveiled the first details on the next Maserati Quattroporte before the car’s official debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2013.
Exterior and Interior
"The new Maserati Quattroporte is a high-performance sports luxury sedan that reinterprets the design features of classic Maseratis in a contemporary design language. Its style was born out of the guiding design principles of Maserati: harmony of shapes, dynamism of lines and Italian elegance. More generous in size when compared to the previous model, the new Quattroporte has a design that is at once graceful and sinuous, fashioned to bring out the sporty nature of the car," said Lorenzo Ramaciotti, Head of Maserati Design Center.
Even if all we have on this point on the new Quattroporte are some high-resolution images, you will notice that the new sedan will combine design elements seen on the previous model — front grille, three side vents and triangular C-pillar — with new ones that will improve its style and functionality. There will be a strong beltline that runs through the entire side of the car giving the new Quattroporte a look and feel that is both muscular and elegant, along with frameless doors and three side windows.
On the interior Maserati will combine the simplicity of lines with full functionality of the in-board instrumentation. Customers will have a wide choice of materials, ranging from prestigious woods and up to the most refined leathers.
Engine
As previously rumored, the new generation Maserati Quattroporte will be powered by a new V-8 engine that will be produced in the Ferrari plant in Maranello. While we have no details on this new engine yet, the company did confirm it will be more powerful and fuel-efficient than ever, making it more exciting to drive and more eco-friendly.
Next to the new engine, the new generation Quattroporte will also benefit from improvements in chassis designing and engineering, weight reduction, and ergonomics. The result will be "a luxury sports sedan that reaches new heights in terms of performance and handling, driving enjoyment as well as respect of the world we live in: the best performance ever in the long history of Maserati’s four-door flagship sedan are matched by the unprecedented success in the quest for an eco-friendly automobile."
When Can I Buy One?
The new generation Maserati Quattroporte will make its world debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2013. It will drop in showrooms shortly after.
Competition
The new generation Maserati Quattroporte will be designed and engineered to attack a wide range of luxury models. Directly in its cross-hairs is the Aston Martin Rapide and the Porsche Panamera.
The Aston Martin Rapide is powered by a hand-built 6.0-liter V-12 engine that delivers a total of 470 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of peak torque at 5,000 rpm. The engine is mated to a specifically tuned six-speed Touchtronic 2 automatic transmission and will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 5 seconds on its way to a top speed of 188 mph. The Panamera will be offered with V-6 and V-8 engines. Power will range from 300 to 500 horsepower, depending on the trim level, and will be mated to either a manual six-speed gearbox or a seven-speed Doppelkupplung (PDK).
Both of these models feature power outputs that are likely beyond what the Maserati is capable of. However, with the new Quattroporte, Maserati’s focus was on improving fuel consumption so we’ll have to wait for those figures in order to see if the brand was truly successful.
-Love It:
New exterior design
More Eco-friendly engine
More luxurious interior
-Leave It:
Competition is more powerful
gallery: 2014 Maserati Quattroporte
Press release:
"Maserati stands today at the edge of an unparalleled strategic and industrial growth that will see our presence in the world rise to 50,000 units a year by 2015. This growth is a challenge for which Maserati has carefully prepared itself and that we all welcome with anticipation.
"It is a growth based on those values of style, elegance, quality and performance for which Maserati has always been recognised and praised in almost 100 years of history. This exciting progression will make the new Maserati a true global player with two new production sites in two different continents and a heart solidly planted in Modena, Italy, where our roots are.
"It is a growth that will be based on three new models entering two new segments of the automobile market – and it starts with the all-new 2013 Maserati Quattroporte."
Harald Wester, Maserati CEO
Maserati Quattroporte: Italian design at its best
"The new Maserati Quattroporte is a high-performance sports luxury saloon that reinterprets the design features of classic Maseratis in a contemporary design language. Its style was born out of the guiding design principles of Maserati: harmony of shapes, dynamism of lines and Italian elegance. More generous in size when compared to the previous model, the new Quattroporte has a design that is at once graceful and sinuous, fashioned to bring out the sporty nature of the car."
"Some of the elements characterising the previous model have been purposely maintained: the front grille, the three side vents and the triangular C pillar. At the same time new style and functional features have been introduced: the strong belt line that runs through the entire side of the car giving the new Quattroporte a look and feel that is at once muscular and elegant, with frameless doors and three side windows."
"Inside, the design of the Quattroporte aims at essentiality, stressing the simplicity of lines and the full functionality of the on-board instrumentation. Functional elements are blended with soft quality surfaces made of prestigious woods and refined leathers."
Lorenzo Ramaciotti, Head of Maserati Design Centre
Maserati Quattroporte: All-New Next Generation Powertrain
"The innovative Maserati engines of the all-new Maserati Quattroporte have been designed and developed by Maserati and Ferrari engineers in the heart of Italy’s motor valley. They are going to be produced in the Ferrari plant in Maranello that has been synonymous with cutting-edge technology and passion for well over 60 years.
"Passion is indeed the middle name of a whole new generation of Maserati engines that will equip the all-new Maserati Quattroporte and the models that will soon follow it on the market. Passion and state-of-the-art technology, both at the heart of all the new Maserati engines that will be mounted on the next generation of Maserati vehicles, have produced engines that are not only more powerful than ever, or more exciting to drive than ever – but also more fuel efficient than ever before."
Paolo Martinelli, Maserati Powertrain Director
Maserati Quattroporte: Key Technical Features
"Refined technical solutions, an explicit attention to the most challenging targets in terms of performance, comfort, efficiency and safety – these are the key elements of the all-new Maserati Quattroporte."
"Maserati engineers have worked – with a competence matched only by their passion – in chassis designing and engineering, weight reduction, ergonomic enhancement to develop a car capable of fitting different powertrain architectures and transmission configurations for the most diverse driving conditions but always maintaining Maserati’s trademark best-in-class driving comfort."
"The result is the all-new Maserati Quattroporte, a luxury sports saloon that reaches new heights in terms of performance and handling, driving enjoyment as well as respect of the world we live in: the best performance ever in the long history of Maserati’s four-door flagship saloon is matched by the unprecedented success in the quest for a more fuel efficient automobile. All this done, of course, as you may expect from Maserati, in the spirit of the most severe active and passive safety conditions."
Roberto Corradi, Maserati Vehicle Development Director
