MASERATI MILESTONES IN 2013

Written by Mike Ryan, Senior Writer

November 14, 2013 2:00 PM AEDT

With their centenary just around the corner (2014), Maserati are using this year to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of their Quattroporte four-door sports saloon, which debuted in 1963.

The latest Quattroporte features a choice of 410hp V6 or an all-new 530hp V8, coupled with an 8-speed ZF automatic transmission.

Maserati's new, state-of-the-art factory at Grugliasco, near Turin, also recently built its 10,000 vehicle - a Quattroporte - with the milestone achieved just nine months after the plant opened. Quattroporte and Ghibli production is concentrated at the new facility, while GranTurismo and GranCabrio models are produced at Maserati's Modena factory.

Sales figures are also on track for a new record this year. Maserati expect to sell more than 20,000 cars in 2013, smashing the previous record of 9,000 cars from 2008. The latest Quattroporte and all-new Ghibli (which will arrive in Australia in the first half of 2014) are expected to account for more than three quarters of this year's record figure.