Maserati’s->ke51 beautiful Alfieri->ke4832 coupe will keep its name when it moves into production for 2016. The news comes directly from company officials speaking to UK’s Autocar. What’s more, a convertible version will likely arrive the following year. The twin-seat sports car->ke506 will serve as the company’s halo car, attracting customers to the brand, but it is not expected to be a sales leader for the FCA-owned brand.

"While we don't expect it to be a big seller we do expect it to anchor all values that are core to Maserati, and have a halo effect in drawing customers to us," Maserati’s James Cowan told Autocar. “…it can do a job in reaffirming in people's minds all of the values that make Maserati special.” Cowan is the automaker’s marketing director in the United Kingdom.

He continued in saying the Alfieri will be the foundation on which Maserati builds its core identity and values of exclusivity and luxury.

While the Alfieri acts as the base, the automaker will build around it with the introduction of an SUV,->ke145 along with a refreshed Granturismo,->ke2326 Ghibli,->ke4598 and Quattroporte.->ke336 In terms of a time frame, the Levante SUV->ke4493 is scheduled first, launching before the Alfieri for 2016, then followed by a replacement for the Granturismo in 2018.

Click past the jump to read more about Maserati Alfieri.

Why it matters

Maserati has a goal of selling 75,000 vehicles by 2018 -- a goal that’s a far reach from the company’s current sales. The automaker is shooting to ramp up its sales to 40,000 by the end of 2014 and 50,000 by 2015. The only way for Maserati to achieve this is with a competent lineup of vehicles that appeal to the right audience and carry the right price. An SUV will surely help, but attracting buyers to the brand with an interesting sports car is a great approach.

Maserati Alfieri

The Maserati Alfieri will be an obtainable halo car in terms of pricing, starting at roughly $94,000, but will remain low in production volume. Maserati says the Alfieri will be a direct competitor to the Jaguar F-Type, but will not surpass the performance of the next Granturismo. The Alfieri will come powered by a 404-brake-horsepower, turbocharged, 3.0-liter V-6. A range-topping all-wheel-drive version will be offered with 444- and 513-brake-horsepower ratings.