The Maserati Ghibli sedan will be put out to pasture in 2024, bringing to an end what will by then have been an 11-year production run for the current generation…
A Maserati executive has confirmed the Italian company plans to end production of the Ghibli in 2024 as the shift towards SUVs and electrification continues. The Ghibli badge traces its roots all the way back to 1967.
In March 2022, Maserati said all models in its 2025 portfolio would be available in fully electric form (wearing the Folgore badge), including the upcoming GranTurismo (and GranCabrio), the new Grecale, the MC20 sportscar, the next-generation Quattroporte sedan and the replacement for the Levante SUV. At the time, no mention was made of the Ghibli.
Now, however, Maserati Australia general manager Grant Barling has revealed the next-generation Quattroporte will effectively evolve to cover both sedan bases, shrinking in size and ultimately leading to the death of the smaller saloon.
“The long-term plan is that the Ghibli will be replaced with the Quattroporte. The Ghibli will move into run-out phase into 2024,” Barling told Drive, adding it was “definitely a tough segment to be in”.
“The plan is for the Ghibli and Quattroporte to become one. So the Quattroporte will become a short-wheelbase [model] – Ghibli-sized, but called a Quattroporte,” he explained.
With Maserati aiming to transform into a fully electric brand by 2030, Barling furthermore confirmed the impending end of the road for the Ferrari-derived twin-turbo 3.8-litre V8 petrol engine currently employed by Trofeo versions of the Ghibli, Quattroporte and Levante.
In 2023, Maserati plans to launch its new Mirafiori-built GranTurismo, billed as the “first car in Maserati history to adopt 100% electric solutions”. The new Grecale will also be available in an electric version.
The Ghibli badge – inspired by the name of the dry south-westerly wind of the Libyan desert – stretches all the way back to 1967. It was first applied to a V8-powered grand tourer, before being used on a V6-driven coupé that debuted in the early 1990s. The current model was revealed at the 2013 Shanghai Motor Show.
