With the Alfieri set to be unveiled in 2016, Maserati is also working on a successor to the GranTurismo, which will surprisingly not feature a GranCabrio version anymore. The information comes straight from Maserati CEO Harald Wester, who recently spoke with Car Magazine about the matter at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. On schedule to be launched sometime in 2018, the next GranTurismo will likely share its architecture with the Ghibli and Quattroporte, but will only come with rear-wheel-drive, unlike the optionally AWD sedans.
"The convertible will be discontinued. The Americans love it, but one major market alone simply does not generate enough volume. The new coupe will be a fully focused driver's car - nimble, agile, responsive and stuffed with serious V8 power, not to mention a cascade of low-end torque." Wester told Car Magazine. With Maserati all about sales volume after launching the successful Ghibli and Quattroporte, it's no wonder that Wester wants to keep the momentum going.
It's probable that the new GranTurismo will be equipped with a version of the twin-turbocharged, 3.8-liter V-8 currently used in the Quattroporte GTS, likely paired exclusively with an eight-speed automatic transmission from ZF - especially seeing that the manual transmission has gone the way of the dodo with companies like Ferrari. Don't fret about Harald Wester's decision though, as Maserati will not remain without a convertible in its lineup. The upcoming Alfieri is set to spawn an open-top version of its own, even though that model will be slightly smaller than the current GranCabrio.
Continue reading to learn more about the next Maserati GranTurismo.
2018 Maserati GranTurismo On Schedule; GranCabrio To Be Axed originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 6 March 2015 18:00 EST.
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