McRae
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Holy tits on a sandwich!
Maserati has the Jaguar F-Type in its sights if the stunning Alfieri sports car concept is anything to go by
Maserati has unveiled the first surprise of the Geneva Motor Show ? the Alfieri concept car, which previews a future 2+2 Maserati sports car.
Named after one of the founders of Maserati, the Alfieri was introduced to Geneva Motor Show crowds by CEO Harald Wester, who proclaimed it ?the future of Maserati.? It remains a concept but Wester said: ?We are currently considering whether this car could be put in to production.?
Wester envisions the Alfieri not as a replacement for the GranTurismo but as an additional model in the Maserati line-up. ?It?s a completely different proposition ? the Alfieri is not a GT, it?s the perfect size 2+2 sports car that could complete the Maserati range.?
It?s based on a shortened version of the GranTurismo MC Stradale platform ? about 24cm shorter ? and is powered by the same 4.7-litre naturally aspirated V8 as that car. It develops 460bhp and is hooked up to a six-speed automatic gearbox.
?The Alfieri is a transition point between 100 glorious years of history and the future that is opening up before us. I can?t honestly say that we?ll see this car in production in the next two years, but I?m certain we?ll see something very similar,? said Head of Design at Fiat Group, Lorenzo Ramaciotti.
The interior carries on current Maserati themes of clean, luxurious design featuring a suspended dashboard based around a central touchscreen. The traditional instruments have also been replaced by a TFT display.
Maserati is aiming to sell 50,000 cars a year by 2015 through its recently introduced Quattroporte and Ghibli models ? both of which comes with a sales-friendly diesel engine. An SUV is on the way, too, which should help the ambitious sales target ? after all, Maserati sold just over 6,000 cars in 2012.
The production version of the Alfieri isn?t likely to arrive in 2015 but once Maserati has established its current line-up and the Kubang SUV during 2015, the Italian firm can turn its attention to the Alfieri. With that in mind, expect it to be on sale in 2016.
Read more: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/maserati/granturismo/86005/maserati-alfieri-sports-car-concept-revealed