Two twin-turbo V6 petrol engines for the Maserati Ghibli

The all new Ghibli marks a turning point in Maserati's history. Unveiled at the Shanghai Motor Show and arriving just months after the new Quattroporte, the Ghibli will give Maserati two four-door saloon models for the first time in its history.

The Ghibli is smaller, shorter, lighter, more dynamic, less expensive and more economical than the flagship Quattroporte and provides a cornerstone in Maserati's plans to build 50,000 cars a year by 2015.

Its petrol range provides high performance from both of the power outputs from the twin turbocharged, 3.0-litre V6 petrol engines.

The Ghibli has a more focused, sportier philosophy than the larger Quattroporte and its most powerful model, the Ghibli S, has 410bhp of power, races to 100km/h in 5.0 seconds and stretches out to a top speed of 285km/h.

The Ghibli is also the first Maserati in history to be powered by a diesel engine, with a turbo-diesel V6 producing all the sound, refinement and driving pleasure typical of Maserati while delivering fuel consumption over 47mpg (below 6L/100km) on the NEDC combined cycle . The Ghibli diesel will also become the first Maserati with Start-Stop technology.

It shares much of its core architecture, including its crash safety, chassis, suspension architecture, engines and LED headlight technology, with the larger Quattroporte, though it is 50kg lighter, 173mm shorter in the wheelbase and 291mm shorter overall.

The outline of the body reflects a coupe-like philosophy for the four-door saloon, while there are strong feline hints around the Ghibli's grille and headlights. The grille takes its inspiration from the current GranTurismo and it can draw a line back to the classic 1950s A6 GCS.

Inside, the Ghibli sets itself apart from the Quattroporte with a unique dashboard design that perfectly matches its sportier and more youthful character without losing any of the luxury expected from Maserati. The Ghibli also delivers a sporty design combined with all the spaciousness expected in an executive saloon from Maserati.

The Ghibli, Ghibli S and Ghibli Diesel all utilise an eight-speed automatic transmission to deliver their performance, providing seamless comfort with fast gear shifting for hard acceleration.

The original 1963 Quattroporte invented the concept of the luxury sports saloon, the new Quattroporte continues to be the genre’s benchmark and now the Ghibli offers all of the Quattroporte’s qualities in a more dynamic, and more affordable package.