Will 2022 Be The Last Year For The Maserati Ghibli Sedan?

The Maserati Ghibli has offered customers an Italian executive tourer sedan capable of taking on the Germans. Over the years, the Ghibli helped increase the global presence of the Italian marque. But now, the Automotive News is reporting that the Ghilbi will more than likely be discontinued after the 2022 model year.

Assuming that the Automotive News is right, the Ghibli would have been in production for a decade after it made its initial debut at the 2013 Shanghai Motor Show. 

This past year, the Ghibli was given the honor as the first vehicle in the Maserati lineup to feature some sort of electrification, with its Ghibli Hybrid. Equipped with the proven 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder (GME-T4) engine that is found under the hood of many of our favorite Stellantis products, however, for the Ghibli Hybrid, there is a huge boost in power. The 2.0-liter has been upgraded to a whopping 330 horsepower and 332 ft.-lb. (450 Nm) of torque at just 1,500 rpm. 

To electrify the engine, a mild-hybrid system consisting of a 48-volt alternator, an additional electric supercharger (e-Booster),  all of which are supported by a battery. The system is very similar to the famed eTorque system found on the Ram 1500 lineup. This allows the mild-hybrid system to exploit kinetic energy the car accumulates when in motion, recovering it and transforming it into electricity during deceleration and braking, and storing it in a battery that has been mounted in the rear of the car for better weight distribution.

Unfortunately, the Ghibli Hybrid never made it to North America. Instead, we were blessed with the all-new Ghibli Trofeo instead.

Using the Ferrari-built 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 delivering 580 horsepower and 730 Nm (538 lb.-ft.) of torque from the Levante Trofeo SUV, the Ghibli Trofeo is the highest performance variant of the Ghibli, ever.

Though the engine is completely new for the Ghibli, the twin-turbocharged V8 has been used in the past on the Quattroporte GTS, producing 530 horsepower in that version. Sharing engines and titles as the fastest Maserati sedans ever, with a top speed of 326 km/h (202 mph), the Ghibli Trofeo and Quattroporte Trofeo models can produce 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in 4.3 seconds, thanks to their quick-shifting ZF-based 8-speed automatic transmissions.

With the Ghibli Trofeo, the hood was redesigned with two aggressive air ducts to allow for better cooling for the twin-turbocharged V8. It is very similar in design to the Levante Trofeo’s design. The Ghibli also comes with a stunning set of 21-inch “Orione” aluminum wheels, performance red accents, and a 10.1-inch infotainment screen.

The Maserati brand is in the middle of a renaissance. The brand has made it no secret that is pushing for an all-electric image before 2030. With even more premium offerings like the MC20 super sportscar, the upcoming Grecale crossover, the sporty new GranTurismo grand-tourer coupe and GranCabrio convertible, and all-new versions of the Quattroporte and Levante in the works, the brand has a wide range of vehicles even without the Ghibli in the lineup. 

Source: Automotive News