I hold that Maserati->ke51 is currently one of the most underrated brands on the market. The Italian marque has a racing heritage that is more storied and illustrious than most brands, all of them are built using engines derived from Ferrari->ke252 units, and they have a style that screams "instant classic." In short, Maserati is quintessentially Italian and lust-worthy. Still the brand sees comparatively little sales love, despite the introduction of the new cheaper Ghibli->ke4598 sedan. That all looks to change soon if this interview over on AutoCar is correct. A few weeks ago during the Paris Motor Show,->ke227 Maserati boss Harald Webster sat down with the site and laid out his plans to increase the brand’s yearly sales by 500-percent in the next three years. The biggest step to that growth comes on the back of six new cars that will be introduced in that same time frame.

The first car in the new barrage of updated machines was the Quattroporte,->ke336 followed closely by the Ghibli. The next new car will be the upcoming Lavante SUV->ke4493 that lives on the Ghibli’s platform. Then comes the production version of the stunning 2014 Alfieri concept All of this is to be completed before 2016 is over. The Levante and Ghibli will make up most of the growth for the brand, but the Alfieri->ke4832 will be sold as both a coupe and a roadster to compete with the Jaguar F-Type.->ke1224 Finishing out the model update will be the new Granturismo that is due late in 2017 as a 2018 model.

Despite rumors that Alfa Romeo,->ke1386 Fiat->ke30 and Maserati would all be sharing engines and technology, Webster claims that is not the case. Every car will use components and engines unique to the brand, and they will all still be powered by Ferrari-derived engines. Webster is going to leverage the uniqueness of the brand to draw in buyers. Along with the new cars being debuted, the next three years should see a new permanent all-wheel-drive system become available and permeate through the lineup. AutoCar says every model except the Granturismo->ke2326 will offer the AWD option. The halo sports car of the marque will retain its rear-wheel-drive layout, and should come powered by a twin-turbo, Ferrari V-8 that pumps out more than 550 horsepower.

AutoCar

Click past the jump to read more about Maserati's future plans.0}

Sergio Marchionne has made it no secret that he wants to push Fiat Chrysler Automotive higher up the sales food chain, and he is using Volkswagen as his main target. To make that happen, every brand in FCA needs to step up and show some drastic improvement. This new barrage of cars from Maserati is but one step in larger plans. Thankfully, Webster seems to understand what makes Maserati a special force in the market, and rather than try to emulate other car companies recipes for volume sales, he is instead augmenting and increasing what makes a Maserati special in the marketplace. That will not only make the cars more interesting and desirable, but it will also make them far more marketable as well.

With rapid dealer network growth, a barrage of new models, and a revived marketing campaign built on the backbone of Maserati’s heritage and unique traits, the five-fold sales improvement over the next few years actually seems like a pretty easy goal.

Why it matters

The Maserati Alfieri is the newest concept from the Italian maker. It is named after one of the four Maserati brothers who formed the brand all those decades ago. The car will be heading to production with very little of its visual style changed. Currently the car is powered by a 4.7-liter V-8 that was pulled from the larger Gran Turismo. Power is rated at 460 horsepower, but I would expect the production model to use a turbo V-6 with closer to 400 horsepower for a base, with a V-8 arriving later as a higher performance variant.