A couple of weeks ago, the next generation Maserati Quattroporte was making its rounds testing in the cold weather when it took a few turns on an icetrack in Northern Sweden. Now, it has graduated to taking some quick laps at the Nurburgring in Germany and our spy photographers were there to capture it in action. Maserati's testing for the new Quattroporte->ke336 is hard and intensive, so it should definitely be ready when it launches at the 2012 Paris Auto Show in September.

As previously reported, the new generation Quattroporte will grow to make room for the "baby Quattroporte," will still be lighter than the current model due to the use of more lightweight materials. The Maserati will receive a completely new design, but the current grille treatment will remain the same. The interior will get improved technology and a more luxurious treatment.

Under the hood, Maserati->ke51 will place the same 4.7 liter V8 engine with some updates to improve the output to 475 HP. The power will go via an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox to the rear wheels or optional to all four wheels.

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