Fiat has inadvertently confirmed Maserati’s plans for a baby Quattroporte by announcing that it will invest about $725 million into a former Bertone plant in Grugliasco, Italy.
Until now, Fiat and its Maserati division have remained mum on the situation, but Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne revealed the company’s plans during a discussion with Italian labor minister Maurizio Sacconi.
Since the next-generation Quattroporte, which will debut in either concept or production form in about two weeks at the Frankfurt Motor Show, will be split in two directions, Maserati will need increased capacity to build the four-door.
For the most part, Maserati has been pretty quiet on its plans for a long-overdue flagship sedan replacement, but sources in Italy suggest that the Chrysler 300′s platform will underpin at least the smaller BMW 5-Series-fighting Quattroporte. A 4.7-liter Italian V8 is expected, but Chrysler’s new ZF-developed eight-speed automatic will also be part of the package.
As for the assembly plant, Fiat struck a deal with its unions earlier this year to use the former Bertone facility for Maserati production. But given the ample investment, it’s safe to assume that the plant will be used for volume production. Fiat acquired Bertone about two years ago.
References
1.’Fiat: Confermata la…’ view
