Ghibli will be Maserati's first diesel-powered car

TURIN -- Maserati today released the first official images of its Ghibli four-door sedan ahead of the car's debut at the Shanghai auto show next week. The Ghibli will be the first Maserati production car to offer a diesel variant. The rear-wheel-drive Ghibli will play a significant role in Maserati's plan to increase its annual vehicle sales to 50,000 by 2015 from 6,288 last year. The Ghibli will have a sportier character compared with the larger Quattroporte, which was launched at the beginning of the year, Maserati said in a statement today. The Ghibli will be offered with either a VM Motori-sourced 3.0-liter V-6 turbodiesel, which is also available on the Jeep Grand Cherokee in Europe and the Lancia Thema, or a 410-hp 3.0-liter V-6 gasoline engine. The engines will be mated with an eight-speed automatic transmission. All-wheel drive will be an option. The Ghibli will compete with sporty sedan offerings such as the Audi A6, BMW 5 series and Mercedes-Benz E class. Maserati said the Ghibli will appeal to executive-car buyers who are looking to make "an individual statement through a car that is distinctive, elegant and luxurious." Diesel engines are popular in the luxury-car segment in Europe, where more than half of the new cars sold have a diesel powerplant. The Ghibli will start at about 70,000 euros when it goes on sale in Europe this summer. Sales will start shortly thereafter in the United States, which is Maserati's largest market. The Ghibli, shown, will have a sportier character compared with the larger Quattroporte. Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne is investing more than 1 billion euros in Maserati to double its product range to six models from three to help boost the luxury sports car brand's global unit sales eightfold. Maserati named the Ghibli after a wind that blows from the Sahara Desert. Maserati first used the Ghibli name on a two-seat coupe launched in 1967. Maserati plans to build 20,000 Ghiblis a year at its Grugliasco plant on the outskirts of Turin, where the Quattroporte is also produced. Annual production of the Quattroporte is expected to be between 10,000 and 15,000 units.