The germans has been triumphantly dominating the mid-size saloon territory with the BMW 5 series, the Mercedes E-Class and the Audi A6 – constantly winning awards and bursting sales figures of their competitors from other countries. The only rival they have is themselves, until now…
The Italians has decided that they want a piece of the action too, and the only car maker in the world with a trident for a badge – Maserati, has recently revealed their new mid-size saloon rival called the Maserati Ghibli. They have released details and first pictures of the Ghibli ahead of its scheduled release at the coming Shanghai Motor Show.
Sitting below it’s bigger brother, the Quattroporte, it will be powered by 2 variations of turbocharged V6 engine, mated to an 8-speed gearbox which runs through either to the rear wheels, or an all-wheel drive option. Although before the release of these official details, speculators were expecting Maser to throw in their new Turbocharged V8 in this model. Although there is no word from the car maker now, a V8 option would still be a possibility in the future.
Additionally, the trident marque will also be powering the new Ghibli with a 3.0 litre Turbocharged diesel engine – a first for the company. Maserati has taken this rather bold step, to slot in their new born together with the german’s class leading diesels, taking them at their own game. Targeted annual sales for the Ghibli will be 50,000 units.
No doubt, the new Maserati Ghibli is a bit of a looker compared to the mainstream looks of its german rivals. The usual german executive saloon cut has perhaps gone a little dull over the years – and when the Italians put their heads into the game, it almost always, spice the market up a bit.
We look forward to seeing the Ghibli in the flesh.
