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Matt Brogan5 Apr 2014
NEWS

Maserati to remain petrol-only in Oz... for now

Maserati Quattroporte and Ghibli sedans won't be offered with diesel power Down Under

Maserati has defended its decision to sell petrol-only variants of its Quattroporte and upcoming Ghibli sedan variants in Australia, despite diesel versions of both models being offered in Europe.

motoring.com.au understands that Maserati's local importer, European Automative Imports (EAI), has also achieved Australian Design Regulation certification for the diesel-powered Quattroporte and Ghibli, but a spokesperson for the brand insists "we shouldn't read too much into it".

"The ADR process is time consuming and expensive, so as an importer we ADR everything because it's cheaper to do it all in one hit," he said. "We've always said that when the diesel [powered variant] becomes available to us we will assess the market then and decide whether that's appropriate to do... it's the most cost effective way to do it."

Maserati this week launched its second petrol-powered Quattroporte variant in Australia, and insists there's no incentive for local buyers to opt for diesel power. According to the importer, Australian buyers are far more focussed on the feel at the wheel.

"The reason for buying a diesel [powered luxury car] here isn't the same as in Europe, because we don't have taxation based on CO2," reiterated the Maserati spokesperson. "In Europe you have this distinct issue where there are a whole host of places where it doesn't matter how much money you've spent, or how much money you have, if your car is over a certain CO2 limit it simply can't go in those areas. For this market, there isn't that differentiation. Here, first and primarily, it's [about] the driving experience."

The Quattroporte is currently offered with the choice of a 390kW/710Nm eight-cylinder or 301kW six-cylinder vee-configuration twin-turbo petrol engines. Priced at $319,800 (plus on-road costs) and $240,000 (plus ORCs) respectively, the local Quattroporte portfolio omits the 202kW/600Nm six-cylinder turbo-diesel found in Europe.

Designed by Maserati and built by VM Motori, the 3.0-litre turbo-diesel unit is claimed to consume as little as 6.2L/100km on the combined cycle while emitting 163g/km of CO2. It can accelerate the Quattroporte Diesel to 100km/h in 6.4 seconds (claimed).

In the smaller Ghibli, which is due locally in "late June or early July", the diesel variant retains the same power output as the Quattroporte but is detuned to 570Nm. Accelerating to 100km/h in 6.3 seconds, the Ghibli Diesel consumes "less than six litres" per 100km on the combined cycle and emits 158g/km of CO2.

Locally, the Ghibli will be offered with the same 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 powering the Quattroporte S, which develops identical outputs of 301kW and 550Nm. A detuned version of the same engine, offering 243kW and 500Nm, will also be available.

Pricing is yet to be announced on either front, though we expect a retail figure near to $130,000 for the entry variant, and a figure moving closer to $160,000 for the higher-output 'S' flagship.

Maserati says all-wheel drive variants of both Quattroporte and Ghibli variants are strictly off the menu for right-hand driver markets, saying Australians will have to wait for the all-new Levante SUV for their first taste of all-paw grip, when it arrives here in late 2016.

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Written byMatt Brogan
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