Maserati opens 2007 with a significant product development and even more varied product range, allowing for a wider client reach and increase in sales volumes. At the 2007 NAIAS in Detroit, Maserati presents the Quattroporte Automatic, a car that defines the spirit of the Italian flagship, and adds to the extraordinary design by Pininfarina an important development, suggested by the name itself: a completely new hydraulic 6-speed transmission that ensures a sleek, fluid gear change while allowing for rapid shifting and seamless driving comfort.
For the second time, Maserati chooses the United States for the official presentation to the public of one of its models. “From the debut of the Maserati Coupé in 2002 up until now with the launch of the Maserati Quattroporte Automatic, the States represent a challenge for the Trident brand, being the most competitive market in the entire car business and at the same time a place where the Modena factory has registered one sales record after another in the past few years”, says Roberto Ronchi, CEO and General Manager of Maserati Spa.
The Maserati Quattroporte Automatic, moreover, is a car that can be said to be well suited for the North American market, where customers are used to long journeys and are particularly attentive to driving comfort.
If the exterior design and the interior maintain the style and elegance that have made the Trident flagship an unmistakable and multiple award-winning car, the mechanical side benefits from the great innovation that Maserati presents today in Detroit. First of all, the new hydraulic 6-speed transmission, a result of the collaboration between Maserati and ZF, is entirely new and has been designed to guarantee fluid gear changes and exceptional driving comfort. The new lay-out of the transmission system emphasises the progressive power delivery of the Maserati V8 engine particularly at low engine speed without limiting its power. The weight balance has been consequently modified, but the new distribution (49%-51%) is still ideal, and unique amongst its competitors, maintaining the segment leading performance characteristics Maserati has become known for.
The new range is also enriched by new options: two new colours are presented for the body (Granite Grey and Ocean Blue) and a new type of wood, tanganika, while the interior now can be ordered in a two tone colour scheme.
The Quattroporte Automatic, alongside the Quattroporte with the DuoSelect gearbox, is also offered in the Executive GT version, which enhances luxury and driving comfort, and Sport GT, that emphasises the sporty characteristics of the car.
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