Maserati has unveiled the new 2013 Quattroporte – the luxury sports saloon which has been the mainstay of Modena since the current car’s launch in 2004.
The new Maserati Quattroporte will be shown at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, with left-hand drive sales starting in spring 2013. However, right-hand drive UK sales of the new QP are unlikely to begin before June 2013.
Maserati Quattroporte (2013): what’s new
The style is all Italian: you won’t mistake the new Quattroporte for a Mercedes S-class or Jag XJ. Trad Maser design cues remain from the cheese grater grille to the triple vents on the flanks and chunky C-pillar.
Lorenzo Ramaciotti, Maserati design chief, said: ‘Some of the elements characterising the previous model have been purposely maintained: the front grille, the three side vents and the triangular C pillar. At the same time new style and functional features have been introduced: the strong belt line that runs through the entire side of the car giving the new Quattroporte a look and feel that is at once muscular and elegant, the new front and rear lights and the three frameless side glasses.
‘Inside, the design of the Quattroporte aims at essentiality, stressing the simplicity of lines and the full functionality of the on-board instrumentation. Functional elements are blended with soft quality surfaces made of prestigious woods and refined leathers.’
How big is the new Quattroporte?
No hard figures yet. But we know the new QP is considerably longer – just check out that side profile shot! The new Quattroporte is being moved up a notch to make space for the new Ghibli four-door sports saloon to take on the likes of BMW’s M5 and Porsche’s Panamera.
Yet despite this growth spurt, the 2013 Maser Quattroporte is said to be much lighter, thanks to a richer mix of materials. CAR understands it’s around 150kg lighter than before despite the growth spurt. These first photographs inside the QP suggest the rear row will be more in keeping with a plutocrats’ limo than today’s more cramped passenger compartment.
Engines and tech in the new 2013 Maser Quattroporte
Again, no word yet on the innards of the new Maserati saloon. But CAR understands that a new family of V6 and V8 engines are to be offered – and, in the fullness of time, a new turbodiesel to turbocharge sales in the European markets.
Rear- and four-wheel drive will be offered this time. Full tech specs will be issued nearer the Detroit auto show premiere in spring 2013.
Maserati CEO Harald Wester on the new Quattroporte
‘Maserati stands today at the edge of an unparalleled strategic and industrial growth that will see our presence in the world rise to 50,000 units a year by 2015. This growth is a challenge for which Maserati has carefully prepared itself and that we all welcome with anticipation.
It is a growth based on those values of style, elegance, quality and performance for which Maserati has always been recognised and praised in almost 100 years of history. This exciting progression will make the new Maserati a true global player with two new production sites in two different continents and a heart solidly planted in Modena, Italy, where our roots are.
‘It is a growth that will be based on three new models entering two new segments of the automobile market – and it starts with the all-new 2013 Maserati Quattroporte.’