What’s next for Maserati? The answer: mid-engine supercars. After Maserati tried its hand at building very fast SUVs, it now wants to develop another car type. Evo reported that Maserati CEO Harald Wester hopes to create a mid-engine, carbon-fiber supercar with a V-8 engine. Wester got the idea to make a Maserati supercar after seeing how strong the consumers’ response was to the Alfa Romeo 4C concept car. Wester also functions as Alfa’s CEO. This Maserati version would be bigger and would provide a better performance, with a carbon-fiber monocoque and a mid-engine layout. This car would be considered as the “halo” car for the brand would be named GranSport. This name was previously used for a limited edition, high-performance version of the Maserati Coupé and Spyder.
Evo said that the Maserati GranSport would be powered by a 4.7-liter V-8 engine from the 2013 GranTurismo Sport, which was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show. This engine can produce 460 hp and 383 lb-ft of torque. It’s likely that this car will be equipped with the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission from the Ferrari 458 Italia. With regards to the 458, Maserati’s supercar is likely to be lighter by more than 600 pounds to about 2640 pounds. But it would be similarly sized to the Ferrari overall. Maserati said last month that this supposed supercar will go up against Porsche 911 and Audi R8.
It would be a two-seater, with just 2,000 units to be rolled out each year. It may start selling by 2015. Maserati is hoping to add to its lineup so that it could attain its goal of selling 50,000 units worldwide every year by 2015. This is much higher than what the company’s deliveries last year of 6,159 globally. Last April, the company announced that it will introduce three new models. The Kubang SUV was a concept at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. There’s also a mid-engine supercar. It’s possible that the third new model would be the “baby Quattroporte,” a smaller sedan.
