Photo: Andrej Suchov on Behance
If you want a shooting brake-style car with a huge trunk and world-class handling, even the base version of the Panamera Sport Turismo will leave you impressed. But don’t you think this body style could use a little more recognition?
Taking Maserati as our example, the answer to that is no. The House of the Trident is much obliged to sell you a mid-size SUV in the guise of the Levante, and not long from now, an Alfa Romeo Stelvio-sized crossover will be added to the lineup with rear- or all-wheel drive and engine options with up to six cylinders.
“But why couldn’t Maserati compete with Porsche with a Quattroporte-based shooting brake?” Imagined with Alfieri styling cues, the rendering before your eyes could be the rival in question. However, it isn’t going into production.
Penned by industrial and automotive designer Andrej Suchov, the design study is a “what if” through and through considering the Italian automaker’s current situation. Money is short, electrification takes a good chunk of the already limited funds for research and development, and Maserati can’t compete with Porsche.
The Stuttgart-based automaker has posted a 10-year increase in 2019, selling 280,000 vehicles worldwide. The Italians couldn’t do better than 26,000 sales to retail customers last year, almost 11 times fewer vehicles than Porsche.
Given the profitability of the Volkswagen Group as a whole and the rather limited synergies between Fiat Chrysler brands, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Maserati is a money pit. But even during these tough times, the Modena-based automaker is planning to one-up Porsche with a mid-engine supercar.
Instead of a shooting brake like the renderings from Andrej, we’ll be treated to the MC20 in the second half of 2020 for the 2021 model year. Expected with a twin-turbo V6 and probably a twin-turbo V8 as well, the Maserati Corse 20 is also going to receive some sort of electrified assistance in the nearest of futures.
A three-motor EV option like the one that Maserati plans to roll out in the next-gen GranTurismo and GranCabrio is more than certain as well, but don’t forget that Porsche has a trick up its sleeve as well. Sooner rather than later, the Premium Platform Electric will underpin the Macan and a few other nameplates.
“But why couldn’t Maserati compete with Porsche with a Quattroporte-based shooting brake?” Imagined with Alfieri styling cues, the rendering before your eyes could be the rival in question. However, it isn’t going into production.
Penned by industrial and automotive designer Andrej Suchov, the design study is a “what if” through and through considering the Italian automaker’s current situation. Money is short, electrification takes a good chunk of the already limited funds for research and development, and Maserati can’t compete with Porsche.
The Stuttgart-based automaker has posted a 10-year increase in 2019, selling 280,000 vehicles worldwide. The Italians couldn’t do better than 26,000 sales to retail customers last year, almost 11 times fewer vehicles than Porsche.
Given the profitability of the Volkswagen Group as a whole and the rather limited synergies between Fiat Chrysler brands, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Maserati is a money pit. But even during these tough times, the Modena-based automaker is planning to one-up Porsche with a mid-engine supercar.
Instead of a shooting brake like the renderings from Andrej, we’ll be treated to the MC20 in the second half of 2020 for the 2021 model year. Expected with a twin-turbo V6 and probably a twin-turbo V8 as well, the Maserati Corse 20 is also going to receive some sort of electrified assistance in the nearest of futures.
A three-motor EV option like the one that Maserati plans to roll out in the next-gen GranTurismo and GranCabrio is more than certain as well, but don’t forget that Porsche has a trick up its sleeve as well. Sooner rather than later, the Premium Platform Electric will underpin the Macan and a few other nameplates.
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