Maserati has confirmed that they will be launching their all new mid-engined ‘4C’ by 2015. The ‘4C’ is targeted at buyers of the might Porsche 911. It will be available with V6 or V8 engines. It will also be equipped with a chassis based on the upcoming Alfa 4C. To date, Alfa has yet to confirm the arrival of the ‘4C’ and company officials have dropped hints that this type of model is necessary if it wants to achieve its growth targets in the future. This new mid-engined Maserati has a pivotal role in the automaker’s plans to post sales of 50,000 cars annually throughout the world by 2015, a huge jump from the just 6159 cars it delivered in 2011.
Maserati seeks to hit this target via the new Quattroporte, a new BMW 5-series rival named Ghibli, the new Levante SUV and the rival to the 911. It’s speculated that the new mid-engined Maserati will be dubbed as the GranSport. But whatever its name is, it will be available with either a twin-turbo V6 or a twin-turbo V8, with around 450bhp and 550bhp on offer. The target kerb weight is believed to be lower than 1400kg.
Even if the V6 model is meant to have rear-wheel drive, it’s possible that the V8 will be offered with the option of four-wheel drive, similar to how the Quattroporte is offered in certain markets. Considering the close alliance between Ferrari and Maserati, it is likely that it will come with a dual-clutch auto gearbox.
