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A larger, lighter and faster leap into the future, yet faithful to Maserati’s long history of luxury sports saloons

The new Maserati Quattroporte was officially unveiled at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit today. The flagship of the Trident marque will be on sale in the UK at a price of £108,125 for the V8 version and £80,070 for the V6, with the first units being delivered during the Summer.

Maserati stands at the edge of an unparalleled strategic step in industrial growth that will see the company’s presence in the world rise to 50,000 units a year by 2015.  It is an increase inspired by a near century of vehicles which define style, elegance, quality and performance and driven by three new models entering key growth segments for Maserati.

This exciting progression will make the new Maserati a genuine global player. The future begins today with the all-new Maserati Quattroporte.

As the flagship of the Maserati product range, the new Quattroporte is larger, lighter, more luxurious and more practical than the globally-acclaimed car it replaces. With a 307 km/h (191 mph)  top speed, it’s also as fast as most two-door supercars.

The sixth-generation Quattroporte is a significant leap forward that not only sets the high-technology tone for Maserati’s upcoming range of new-models, but also remains faithful to Maserati’s long history of luxury sports saloons.

The powerful and proprietary Maserati engines and the large cabin are at the core of the Quattroporte’s design. Dominated by a long, powerful nose and a concave Trident grille a clear link is created to both the outgoing Quattroporte and the current GranTurismo.

The newly-developed direct-injection engine family boasts a 3.8-litre V8 and a 3.0-litre V6, both of which are twin-turbocharged, designed by Maserati Powertrain and assembled by Ferrari at its plant in Maranello. All versions come equipped with the latest eight-speed automatic transmission developed with ZF.

Even with all of its new technology, the new Quattroporte remains true to Maserati’s roots. Its 530 hp twin turbo V8 makes it not only the fastest four-door Maserati has ever built, but also the most powerful and the most fuel efficient. In direct contrast to its scintillating performance, the V8 Maserati Quattroporte has improved both its fuel consumption and emissions by 20 percent over the outgoing Quattroporte.

The 3.8-litre V8 engine sets Maserati’s new performance benchmark by reaching 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds and achieving a 307 km/h top speed- fully 20 km/h faster than the existing Quattroporte Sport GT S. At its peak it delivers up to 200 Nm more torque than the previous model.  The V6 twin turbo Q4 All-Wheel Drive variant  delivers similar performance,  capable of a top speed of 285 km/h (177mph). Please note that the Q4 variant won’t be available in RHD markets, where only V8 and V6 rear-wheel drive will be on sale.

The “Q4” system is one of the many “firsts” of the new Quattroporte: a system capable of redistributing the torque instantly from full rear wheel drive at higher speeds to a perfectly balanced 50/50 distribution between front and rear wheels when more traction is needed.

The all-new architecture retains the Quattroporte’s traditionally exquisite handling thanks to its near 50:50 weight distribution, a double-wishbone front suspension and a state-of-the-art five-link rear suspension.

The new Quattroporte also delivers new standards in quality in every area from design, development, fabrication and process controls. It is produced in a new plant that combines Maserati’s traditions of craftsmanship with cutting-edge technologies that are able to help guarantee outstanding quality by controlling even the tiniest of details.

Traditional hand-crafted design continues in the Quattroporte’s cabin, and this has been  augmented with even more interior space in all seats and both four- and five-seat layouts.

Cabin luxury leaps forward technically, too, with features like the Maserati Touch Control screen, adjustable pedals, reverse cameras and the optional 15-speaker, 1280 Watt Bowers & Wilkins audio system, as well as WLAN-based WiFi.

Starting with the original Quattroporte in 1963, Maserati invented the concept of the luxury sports saloon and the new Quattroporte continues to be the benchmark for high quality engineering, supercar performance and luxury saloon comfort.

Maserati sales results

Maserati closed 2012 with 6307 cars sold worldwide, resulting in a growth of 2.2% over 2011.

The best selling model was the GranTurismo with 3176 units sold, followed by the GranCabrio with 1623 units and the Quattroporte with 1508 cars sold.

The three main markets are North America (USA and Canada) with 2892 cars sold (46% of the total), China with 930 units (15%) and Japan with 294 cars (5%).

In particular the USA performed beyond expectations, finishing the year up 17.3%. In fact, Maserati has doubled its North American sales since 2009.

EDITOR’S GLANCE

• All-new, Maserati-designed 3.8-litre, twin turbo V8 and 3.0-litre, twin turbo V6 engines
• Direct-injection V8 delivers 530 CV and up to 710 Nm of torque.  0-62 mph acceleration in 4.7 seconds and top speed 307km/h (191mph)
• Class-leading specific power output 139 hp/litre and specific torque output 171Nm/litre. Class-leading weight-to-power ratio 3.6 kg/hp
• V6 twin-turbo delivers 410CV and its 550Nm is greater than the torque peak in the outgoing Quattroporte Sport GT S
• V6 twin turbo accelerates to 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds with a top speed of 285 km/h (177 mph)
• V8 curb weight has been reduced by almost 100 kg
• Both V8 and V6 models use  an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission
•  AWD system, available on V6 models, capable of redistributing torque instantly from full rear wheel drive at higher speeds to a near perfectly balanced 50/50 distribution between front and rear wheels when more traction is needed
• Traditional handling excellence with near 50:50 weight distribution in RWD vehicles
• Longer wheelbase creates increased leg and shoulder room and boot space
• Five or four-seat layouts available, including work space and entertainment options
• New cabin features include WiFi WLAN hotspot, 15 speaker, 1280 Watt Bowers and Wilkins premium surround system, 8.4” Maserati Touch Control screen
• Designed and engineered by Maserati and manufactured to new benchmark quality standards in its all-new plant in Turin, Italy