Maserati is an Italianluxury vehicle manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The Maserati tagline is "Luxury, sports and style cast in exclusive cars", and the brand's mission statement is to "Build ultra-luxury performance automobiles with timeless Italian style, accommodating bespoke interiors, and effortless, signature sounding power".
The company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian–American car giant Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and FCA's Italian predecessor Fiat S.p.A. since 1993. Maserati was initially associated with Ferrari S.p.A., which was also owned by FCA until being spun off in 2015, but more recently it has become part of the sports car group including Alfa Romeo and Abarth . In May 2014, due to ambitious plans and product launches, Maserati sold a record of over 3,000 cars. This caused them to increase production of the Quattroporte and Ghibli models. In addition to the Ghibli and Quattroporte, Maserati offers the Maserati GranTurismo, the GranTurismo Convertible, and has confirmed that it will be offering the Maserati Levante, the first Maserati SUV, in 2016, and the Maserati Alfieri, a new 2+2 in 2016. Maserati is placing a production output cap at 75,000 vehicles globally.
In 1937, the remaining Maserati brothers sold their shares in the company to the Adolfo Orsi family, who in 1940 relocated the company headquarters to their home town of Modena, where it remains to this day. The brothers continued in engineering roles with the company. Racing successes continued, even against the giants of German racing, Auto Union and Mercedes
Maserati sales in 2013 were 15,400 units, which is up from just over 6,000 units worldwide in 2012 (2013 included the release of the new Quattroporte and Ghibli towards the end of the year, and thus the first year to fully represent the sales inclusive of these models is 2014). In May, 2014, Maserati sold a company record of over 3,000 cars worldwide, causing them to increase production of the Ghibli and Quattroporte. For that same month in the United States, Maserati sold 1,114 vehicles, which is up 406.19% over the same month in the previous year in the United States. Maserati's best month of sales in the United States was September 2014, with 1,318 units sold.The month in 2014 where the increase on sales for the same month of the previous year was the highest was May, with a volume increase of 406.19%.The sales target for 2018 is 75,000 units worldwide.
2014 marked an historic record of 13,411 total units sold in North America for the year, a 169% increase versus 2013, boasting the highest-ever overall sales year for Maserati North America, Inc. Worldwide, in 2014 Maserati sold about 36,500 cars, a 136% increase over 2013.
Wester stated that Maserati will not surpass the 70,000 sales per year mark, and that Maserati will maintain its current position in the higher end of the luxury sports car market, not expanding downmarket and making vehicles smaller and less expensive than the Ghibli and Levant, as other FCA brands, specifically Alfa Romeo, are or will be in those market spaces.
Italian for "four-door," the Maserati Quattroporte is a sportingluxury saloon. The sixth generation Maserati Quattroporte was introduced in 2013. The Quattroporte is currently available in S Q4, GTS and Diesel trim. The S Q4 has an advanced four wheel drive system, and a 404-horsepower twin-turbo V6. The GTS is rear wheel drive, and has a 523-horsepower V8.A Quattroporte Diesel model is offered on selected markets, making 275 horsepower (250 hp in Italy) and 442 ft-lbs of torque. The sixth-generation Quattroporte has grown in size in order to better compete with the roomier luxury saloons like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
The first presentation of this car was on 20 April 2013 in Shanghai. It is a sporting/luxury executive saloon that competes against the BMW 5 Series, Mercedes E-Class or Audi A6. This new model is expected to be key in order to reach the ambitious target sales of 50,000 cars a year by 2015, and 75,000 by 2018. The car, along with the new Quattroporte, is built in the Italian factory of Grugliasco, Turin. The base Ghibli comes with 330 horsepower, the Ghibli Diesel with 275 horsepower (also 250 in Italy only), and the Ghibli S Q4 with 410 horsepower. By 2018, the base Ghibli will have 350 horsepower, the S Q4 450 horsepower, and a higher performance version (likely GTS) which will have 560 bhp and all-wheel drive.
The Maserati Levante is a crossover SUV due to be released in 2014. It has been anticipated with the Maserati Kubang concept SUV in September 2003 at the Frankfurt Motor Show and again in 2011. It was announced, at the Paris Motor Show held in Paris in September 2012. The Levante will be assembled in Mirafiori Plant, in Turin. It was confirmed on May 6, 2014.The Levante 3.0L V6 will be offered in either 350 or 425 horsepower states of tune, with a 3.8L V8 producing560 bhp . down the road, due in 2018. All models will have all-wheel drive.
The Maserati Alfieri was a concept 2+2 presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 2014. The concept was based off the lighter chassis of the GranTurismo MC Stradale, although it had a shorter wheelbase. The concept was introduced with a 4.7 liter V8 producing 460 bhp.
The Alfieri was confirmed for production in 2016 at a Fiat Chrysler Automobiles event on May 6, 2014.The production version will receive three different V6 engine choices, producing 410 bhp, 450 bhp, and 520 bhp, respectively. The 450 horsepower and 520 horsepower versions will only have an all-wheel drive system. The Alfieri will be joined by an Alfieri convertible in 2017.
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