The design award
According to Maserati, the driving design influence for the Alfieri tribute vehicle was the company’s legendary A6 GCS-53 (shown below). Designed in 1954 by Pininfarina, the A6 GCS-53 was one of those beautiful ground-breaking GT designs that remains an iconic, influential piece of automotive history. The acronym, by the way, stands for Alfieri 6 cylinder / Ghisa/ Corsa/ Sport.
The Alfieri Concept was first unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show 2014; a striking 2+2 concept car celebrating the brand’s centenary, with the name Alfieri commemorating the most prominent of the founding Maserati brothers. The concept car was designed at the Centro Stile in Turin, masterminded by Head of the Centro Stile Lorenzo Ramaciotti and led by Marco Tencone, who proudly accepted the Car Designs of the Year award on Maserati’s behalf.
Due to the overwhelmingly positive reaction when it was first shown, the Maserati Alfieri is now confirmed for production in 2019/2020 followed by a cabriolet version later on.
Maserati Alfieri Concept was then announced as ‘2014 Concept Car of the Year’. The Car Designs of the Year Awards are completely independent in that the judging panel is made up of a truly global cross-section of professional designers from carmakers, educational establishments and suppliers from major players.
Owen Ready, Editor Car Design News said, “The design of sports cars with fine volumes and beautiful proportions is something Italian car design has long excelled at, but the Alfieri’s more contemporary design elements have been executed with impeccable judgement. The result is a classic Italian sports car which is utterly modern.”
Plans for production
Speaking on the sidelines of the UK launch of the Levante SUV, Peter Denton, who is Region Manager for North Europe, said an electric version of the Alfieri sports car is planned.
When pressed for a release date, Denton said the variants with combustion engines would come first, followed by the BEV. This would be in "2019/2020, with the full electric in 2020" he believes.
Asked why a battery electric vehicle and not a PHEV, Maserati's man maintained that by the early part of the next decade, the taxation advantages for plug-in hybrids will most likely have been removed in many countries.
The same platform would then be used by the next GranTurismo and GranCabrio. Using the same platform as an electric vehicle would make these cars suitable for plug-in hybrid versions, as well as for offering them in all-electric variants. This is not necessarily going to happen, especially for the GranCabrio, but the possibility exists on a theoretical level.
Maserati has now confirmed the pure-electric model as the second powertrain of the new Alfieri, to be launched a year after the twin-turbo petrol V6-engined sportscar makes its debut in 2019.
The petrol engine
This 3.0-liter dual-turbo V-6, previously uncovered in the Ghibli as accurately as Quattroporte, discovers an additional property from the Alfieri. The base track will begin all around 410 horsepower through an alternative to up class to 450, as the top rated performer may need a displacement hit to suit its 520 horsepower. Only the 410-hp engine is expected to drive the rear rims; far more highly efficient models may come familiar with several tire produce. All Alfieris utilizes ZF’s eight-speed electronic.
The first electric Maserati
The first electric vehicle sold under the Maserati brand will be the production version of the Alfieri concept. The Italians want to launch it in 2020, shortly after the introduction of conventionally-powered versions. The Alfieri might also get a plug-in hybrid option, as the brand is also considering implementing a few of those in its portfolio by the same date.
According to Autocar, the decision to implement a V6 engine came after CO2 emissions figures of the V8 were considered for this model within the fleet average, and the answer was unfavorable for the eight-cylinder mill.
The price will be around 150.000 USD.
The Interior (from the concept-car)
Sources: http://www.maserati.com/ and https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/all-electric-maserati-alfieri-coming-2020
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