Maserati announces names of new saloon, SUV at Paris

Maserati announced the names of three of its forthcoming new cars at the 2012 Paris motor show. From 2013, Fiat's upmarket sports luxury wing will finally launch a barrage of new product to overcome worries it's just producing endless versions of its existing range.

The new Maserati Quattroporte will be launched at the 2013 Detroit auto show in January. No messing around here with the most eponymous name in motoring - it'll stick with the time-honoured QP badge.

That was the name of the 2011 concept car heralding the arrival of the Italian 4x4. However, the production Maserati SUV will be called Levante, derived from the Via Emilia Levante in Bologna where, almost a century ago, the Maserati brothers conceived the company that still bears their name.

The Maserati Levante SUV will be based on the hardware of a Jeep Grand Cherokee, but tailored with Italian-specific engines, styling and trim to ensure it can justify a supercar price tag. Expect it to launch in 2014.

The wonderfully evocative Ghibli badge has been reserved for the new mid-sized sports saloon. CAR recently scooped the new BMW M5 rival, which will use a combination of V6 and V8 power.

With these three new models, Maserati hopes to send sales rocketing to 50,000 units by 2015.

Maserati also unveiled the GranCabrio MC at the Paris motor show, fitting in with the range extensions it's launched on other product lines. And it announced a three-year partnership with British high-end audio specialist Bowers & Wilkins - its stereos will start pumping in Maserati products from 2013.

By Tim Pollard