Maserati Births an Eight-Speed, Four-Wheel-Drive Turbo-Diesel

Introducing the Ghibli.

Two ideas are deeply seeded in the brains of auto manufacturers execs right now: forced induction and expansion into new segments. With the Ghibli, Maserati addresses both of these with one car. The baby Quattroporte, which is slated for a Shanghai world debut on April 20th (stream here), is part of a plan for Maserati to reach a sales goal of 50,000 vehicles per year by 2015.

Aside from being the company's first car in this segment, the Ghibli will also be the first Maserati production vehicle with a diesel engine (a 3.0L turbo-diesel V6). A regular 3.0L turbo V6 will also be available, and both will be coupled with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Rear-wheel drive will come standard, but customers can also opt for the new "Q4" four-wheel drive

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[via Maserati]

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