Did you know that #ghibli means hot air? Seems appropriate. CC: @Maserati_HQ #GoodToBeBad

— Jaguar USA (@JaguarUSA) February 3, 2014

Ever since Jaguar->ke39 reinvented itself and turned into a major player in the automotive market, it hasn't been afraid to show its claws and display its mean streak.

It did so a few months ago with Mercedes and its Magic Body Control system, and now, fresh off of a letdown of a Super Bowl commercial, Jaguar its taking a shot at a competitor looking to make some headway in the U.S. market.

As if picking up a fight with Mercedes->ke187 isn't enough, Jaguar's taking some shots at Maserati->ke51 and its new luxury sedan, the Ghibli->ke4598. In a tweet that was posted after the Super Bowl, Jaguar intentionally wondered out loud to all its Twitter followers exactly what the word "ghibli" means.

Jaguar's actual tweet: "Did you know that #ghibli means hot air? Seems appropriate."

Shots fired, indeed.

Give credit to Jaguar for injecting a little bit of humor into its shot at the Ghibli, since a quick Google search did reveal that ghibli is "a hot, dust-carrying desert wind in North Africa, somewhat similar to the foehn". Then again, we doubt that Maserati took it with the same good humor that we did.

We eagerly await for Maserati's response.

Click past the jump to read about the Maserati Ghibli and you'll realize that contrary to Jaguar's shots, the Ghibli is actually all that...and maybe even more.

2014 Maserati Ghibli

The Maserati lineup has grown to include some pretty stunning models, none more impressive than the new Ghibli. Aimed squarely at the Audi A6, BMW 6 Series and the Mercedes CLS-class, the Ghibli enters the U.S. market with a lot to prove, and as far as initial reactions are concerned, the sports sedan has the make up to be a serious player in America.

The Ghibli comes to the U.S. in both standard and S trims. Powered by a Ferrari -engineered, 3.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 engine, the standard model makes 345 horsepower. The more athletic S version gets a 59 horsepower bump to total 404. Its sprint to 60 mph happens more quickly at around 4.5 seconds. Both versions are mated to a ZF eight-speed automatic powering all four wheels.

The Ghibli carries a starting price of $65,000, which is right around what you'd expect from its competitors. That's a fair price and an intriguing one at that in the event you're looking for a new direction away from the German triumvirate.