GENEVA - Maserati never fails to impress, and again they have at the 2015 Geneva show.

EXCLUSIVE INTERIORS FOR THE GHIBLI AND QUATTROPORTE, SIGNED BY ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA

After a year of commercial success and the recent centennial celebrations, Maserati views 2015 as a year of consolidation before the launch of its new models. In terms of product, this consolidation starts with the strengthening of the all-Italian partnership between the brand and the Ermenegildo Zegna maison of Trivero. At the Geneva Motor Show, Maserati has confirmed the production launch of a new interior version available as an option from next autumn.

The Ermenegildo Zegna interior combines Poltrona Frau leather with 100% natural fibre Zegna Mulberry Silk inserts on the seats, door panels, roof lining, sunshades and ceiling light fixture. Available in three colour variants for the interiors of the Quattroporte and Ghibli saloons, this exclusive outfit will be the most exquisite of all Maserati customisations. 

The stand features the Ghibli Ermenegildo Zegna Edition, the stylistic concept car that contains some of the features available for order by Maserati saloon customers.

Also on display on the Maserati stand is a substantial representation of the brand’s range, with the luxurious Quattroporte GTS and the diesel version. The Ghibli is present in the S Q4 and diesel versions, alongside the Centennial Editions of the GranTurismo MC Stradale and GranCabrio MC.

ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA INTERIORS FOR THE GHIBLI AND QUATTROPORTE

For the Ghibli and Quattroporte, Maserati and Ermenegildo Zegna have designed interiors offering luxurious materials and sophisticated styling, with three colour combinations certain to delight the most discerning clientele.

The basic consideration behind this new product offering has remained faithful to that presented with the Ghibli Ermenegildo Zegna Edition concept car: the harmony of opposites, where a stylistic synthesis between sophisticated design and technological dynamism creates interiors with a strong contemporary character.

The interior is designed around the passenger compartment’s two-colour, two-material concept, with Poltrona Frau leather combined with Ermenegildo Zegna 100% natural fibre mulberry silk inserts, which give it a distinctive, elegant personality.

Silk, an inherently sophisticated material, is further embellished by the hand-stitched macro-chevron; on the door panel, too, the matching salt-pepper silk Jersey is enhanced by an alternating rib embroidery.

As for the seating, the extra fine grain Poltrona Frau leather with contrasting, light grey stitching, is matched to a central silk insert with a micro-chevron weave of vertical rolls on the central seat and backrest area, within which the central roll, with leather tapes on the sides, features a special macro-chevron weave adding to its three-dimensional feel and technical look.

On the door panels, the central parts are covered with Zegna silk Jersey and embellished by a diagonal roll pattern, with ton-sur-ton ornamental stitching and alternating rib embroideries. The same fabric is used to cover the car's roof lining and sunshades, the latter carrying grosgrain “Ermenegildo Zegna Exclusively for Maserati” brand labels on the inside. The sophisticated, luxury finish of the car interior is also expressed by the headrests, featuring an embroidered Trident emblem and contrasting stitching.

For both models, Ghibli and Quattroporte, the interior offering includes a choice of colour combinations: the Ermenegildo Zegna silk, always in Anthracite colour, can be combined with three different shades of luxurious Poltrona Frau leather, for three individual looks:

• Black colour Poltrona Frau Leather/  Anthracite Ermenegildo Zegna Silk / contrasting grey stitching on seats, dashboard and door panel
• Natural colour Poltrona Frau Leather/  Anthracite Ermenegildo Zegna Silk / contrasting grey stitching on seats, dashboard and door panel
• Red colour Poltrona Frau Leather/  Anthracite Ermenegildo Zegna Silk / contrasting grey stitching on seats, dashboard and door panel

This extended, exclusive product offering for the Maserati saloons will be available for all markets from autumn 2015, on all Quattroporte and Ghibli versions.

QUATTROPORTE RANGE

The most powerful Maserati currently on the market is also present on the stand: the GTS version of the Quattroporte flagship, driven by the powerful 530 horsepower V8 Twin-Turbo petrol engine with rear-wheel drive, capable of a peak torque of 710 Nm and able to propel the car to 307 km/h, surging from 0 to 100 km/h in a mere 4.7 seconds. In terms of styling, as well as the GTS badge at the rear, the car’s exterior features a front spoiler, side miniskirts and the lower band of the rear bumper coloured to match the body, while the radiator grille has a glossy black surround. The front trident emblem in the middle of the grille, as well as the iconic “Saetta” logo on the rear pillar, includes the red striping typical of higher-performance versions. The standard wheels are 20” in size and forged to ensure a significant weight reduction compared to the conventional flow forming construction; the wheels come in a technical design and anthracite grey colour, with external diamond smoothing treatment and matt finish with colour-matched hub covers and a red trident emblem - only available for this version. The slimline spokes allow a good view of the red, anodised finish brake callipers, indicative of the vehicle's high performance and only available for the GTS version. The standard interiors offer lavish use of fine-grain Poltrona Frau leather (with optional contrasting stitching) and Black Piano lacquered trim. Further interior details include a compact GTS badge added to the inside of the dashboard central clock with red pointers, and the floor mat on the driver's side with a leather insert and embroidered GTS logo.

Accompanying the immensely powerful Quattroporte GTS is the equally exclusive Quattroporte Diesel, with 275 horsepower V6 engine, which with a top speed of 250 km/h, acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.4 seconds and a total range of more than 1000 km between fuelling stops, delivers unrivalled comfort on long journeys.

The Quattroporte range is completed by the petrol-engined all-wheel drive S Q4 and rear-wheel drive Quattroporte S, both powered by the 410 horsepower Twin Turbo V6 and equipped with the 8-speed automatic transmission; top speeds, at the top of the class for both versions, are 283 and 285 km/h respectively, with 0-100 km/h taking 4.9 seconds for the S Q4 and 5.1 for the rear-wheel drive Quattroporte S version.

GHIBLI RANGE

Alongside the Ghibli Ermenegildo Zegna Edition concept car on the stand is the most powerful petrol version, the all-wheel drive Ghibli S Q4, with 410 horsepower Twin Turbo V6 engine. Its architecture provides sports car performance, with a top speed of 284 km/h and just 4.8 seconds from 0-100 km/h, together with the versatility to deal with all kinds of road surfaces. On the stand, the leader in comfort, performance and fuel saving combined is the Ghibli Diesel, with its 275 horsepower V6 Turbo engine.  Capable of 250 km/h and accelerating from 0-100 km/h in 6.3 seconds, it delivers low fuel consumption and emissions of 5.9 l/100 km and 158 g/km respectively, on the combined cycle.

The Ghibli range is completed by the petrol version with a 330 horsepower V6 Twin Turbo engine, and the 410 horsepower S version, both rear-wheel drive and with 8-speed automatic transmission.

GRANTURISMO AND GRANCABRIO RANGE

The epitome of the sports car range comprising of the GranTurismo and GranCabrio, is the Centennial Edition of the GranTurismo MC Stradale. The Centennial Edition, created to celebrate the Maserati Centennial, is available on both the GranTurismo MC Stradale and the GranCabrio MC, both displayed on the stand. The Centennial Edition features three tri-coated colours, special 20” wheels and hub covers that incorporate the Centennial medallion logo. The leather upholstered seats boast a particularly aggressive look with a contrasting decorative insert based on the three colours (red, white and blue) of the seat profiles. The same motif also extends to the headrests and surrounds the embroidered trident logo.

The engine is a 4.7 litre 460 horsepower naturally aspirated V8 with rear-wheel drive and gearbox coupled with the differential, enabling the car to reach 0-100 km/h in just 4.5 seconds; the top speed is 303 km/h and the car has Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes.

Apart from the Centennial Edition, the sports car range includes the GranTurismo, with 4.2 litre, 405 horsepower naturally aspirated V8 engine and 6 speed automatic transmission, and the GranTurismo Sport, powered by the same 4.7 litre 460 horsepower naturally aspirated V8 engine as the MC Stradale, available with MC Auto-Shift automatic transmission or MC Shift robotic gearbox, all with rear-wheel drive.

The convertible range is completed by the 450 horsepower GranCabrio and the 460 horsepower GranCabrio Sport, both with 6 speed automatic transmission.

DRIVING COURSES

The Master Maserati programme offers a complete range of top-level, highly exclusive driving experiences, characterised by the unmistakeable Italian style and elegance typical of all Maserati activities.

At the Varano De' Melegari racing track, near Parma, in Italy, a fleet of fifteen cars, all part of the current Maserati production range and coordinated by the former Formula 1 driver Andrea de Adamich, each equipped with an audio-video recording system, will be made available to course participants to learn various driving techniques and emergency manoeuvres.

The driving experiences range from the brand new “Master Warm Up”, an introduction to driving high-performance cars on the circuit, on to the classic “Master GT” one or two days' course, or the "Master High Performance" course for more experienced drivers, and the "Master Italian Lifestyle Experience", encompassing all the most iconic, captivating elements of Italian lifestyle: luxury, art, fashion, and most significantly, racing performance. More information is available at www.maserati.com/MasterMaserati

In the run-up to the Maserati Trofeo World Series 2015, the “Trofeo Racing Academy” is offered on 21 and 22 March; this project is the very highest level of Maserati Driving Courses. It is a professional race-training programme, intended for those who are actually intending to take part in the 2015 Maserati Trofeo World Series, to enable them to enjoy a safe driving experience with performance and competitiveness of a suitable level.

Participation is reserved for experienced drivers with high-performance road vehicle driving skills - with or without previous track experience. The programme includes two training days, with both theoretical and practical sessions. At the end of the Trofeo Racing Academy, participants may take a 2,000 cc racing car driving test, required by the Italian National Federation (CSAI) to be able to compete in the Maserati Trofeo.

MOTOR SPORTS

The sixth season of the Maserati Trofeo World Series confirms its status as a worldwide event, with a calendar covering three continents and now including three new tracks, meaning that no fewer than 25 different circuits have now been visited since 2010. 

The Trofeo World Series will commence on 26 April in France, at the Paul Ricard Circuit, where the initial pre-season tests will also take place. The second round will be held on 24 May at the Spielberg circuit in Austria, which will be hosting a stage of the Trofeo Maserati for the first time. On 28 June another new circuit: Road America in the State of Wisconsin in the USA, while the return to the VIR circuit at Danville, Virginia is confirmed for 23 August.

The championship will move to Asia on 25 October and will call at the Suzuka circuit in Japan for the first time, before concluding on 11 December at Abu Dhabi, which will host the closing race for the third year in succession.

The major novelty for the 2015 season concerns the race format, designed to create a level playing-field between drivers and ensure more excitement right from the first sessions on the track. The format will change from three races per round, used in 2013 and 2014, to two races of 42’ each, with no pit stops. More information is available at www.maseraticorse.it

MASERATI'S 2014

In 2014, Maserati delivered 36,500 cars (+137%), thanks to the continued strong performance of the Quattroporte and Ghibli. Net earnings were €2.8 billion (€1.7 billion in 2013) due to the higher volumes. EBIT improved to €275 million from €106 million in 2013, which included non-recurring charges of €65 million relating to the write-down of development costs, previously capitalised in relation to a new model which was subsequently reassigned to a new platform considered more appropriate for the brand. EBIT adjusted to allow for non-recurring items improved by €104 million compared to 2013 as a result of the growth in volumes.