Maserati will take aim at the Jaguar F-Type and the Porsche 911 when it introduces a brand new coupe called Alfieri in 2016.
Named after one of the brothers that founded the automaker in 1914, the Alfieri will essentially be a toned-down version of the eponymous concept (pictured) that was was presented earlier this year at the Geneva Motor Show. While the concept was built on the same platform as the Granturismo, the production model will ride on an evolution of the platform that currently underpins the Quattroporte and the smaller Ghibli.
Power for the Alfieri will come from a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine that will send 404 horsepower to the rear wheels in its initial state of tune. Buyers after more grunt will be able to pick either a mid-range model with 444 horsepower or a flagship that will pack a little over 510 ponies. The 444- and 510-horsepower coupes will come standard with all-wheel drive.
The Alfieri will not be offered with a V8 in order to avoid overlapping with the next-generation Granturismo that is set to launch in 2017.
Maserati expects the Alfieri will be a low-volume model, one that won’t make a significant contribution to the firm’s ambitious goal of selling 75,000 cars a year by 2018. Instead, it will serve as a halo car that will remind buyers what Maserati’s core values are: exclusivity and luxury.
The Maserati Alfieri will launch as a coupe, and a convertible version will follow about a year into the production run. Additional details will emerge in the months leading up to the Alfieri’s official introduction at the 2016 edition of the Geneva Motor Show.
