With the Alfieri->ke4832 set to be unveiled in 2016, Maserati->ke51 is also working on a successor to the GranTurismo,->ke2326 which will surprisingly not feature a GranCabrio version anymore. The information comes straight from Maserati CEO Harald Wester, who recently spoke with Car Magazine about the matter at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. On schedule to be launched sometime in 2018, the next GranTurismo will likely share its architecture with the Ghibli->ke4598 and Quattroporte,->ke336 but will only come with rear-wheel-drive, unlike the optionally AWD sedans.
"The convertible->ke144 will be discontinued. The Americans love it, but one major market alone simply does not generate enough volume. The new coupe->ke141 will be a fully focused driver’s car - nimble, agile, responsive and stuffed with serious V8 power, not to mention a cascade of low-end torque." Wester told Car Magazine. With Maserati all about sales volume after launching the successful Ghibli and Quattroporte, it's no wonder that Wester wants to keep the momentum going.
It's probable that the new GranTurismo will be equipped with a version of the twin-turbocharged, 3.8-liter V-8 currently used in the Quattroporte GTS, likely paired exclusively with an eight-speed automatic transmission from ZF – especially seeing that the manual transmission has gone the way of the dodo with companies like Ferrari.->ke252 Don't fret about Harald Wester's decision though, as Maserati will not remain without a convertible in its lineup. The upcoming Alfieri is set to spawn an open-top version of its own, even though that model will be slightly smaller than the current GranCabrio.
Continue reading to learn more about the next Maserati GranTurismo.
Why it matters
Now that Maserati is in the big league sales-wise, with almost six times more cars sold in 2014 than in 2012, the carmaker's upcoming destiny should be one of continuous growth. I say this because the well-received Alfieri Concept will spawn a production version in 2016, while the Modena carmaker is already working on the GranTurismo successor. That said, it does sound a bit odd to cut models from the lineup during a period of growth.
Sure, the Alfieri is said to get a convertible version a year after launch, and it would probably steal some customers from the not-much-larger but more expensive GranCabrio. Then again, some GranTurismo customers may also choose the Alfieri Coupe if given the choice, so I don't really see the point of axing the GranCabrio replacement. If Maserati markets them to be distinctive enough, people will buy it. Keep in mind that the somewhat similarly styled Ghibli and Quattroporte are based on the same platform, yet folks do acknowledge them as distinct models – as they should.