New Maserati concept car to preview brand’s future at Paris Motor Show
Maserati’s not dead! Stellantis design boss confirms a new concept is on the way
Gilles Vidal, new head of European Stellantis design, has confirmed that Maserati will reveal a new future-gazing concept car at the Paris Motor Show in October.
Vidal told Auto Express: “If you look at the history of Maserati, every two decades or so there’s a massive shift in the design expression. You had the curvy Maseratis in the fifties and sixties, like the Ferraris and the Rolls-Royces of the era. Then it switched to super-edgy design in the seventies and eighties, and then it switched again. Now it’s back to curvy, but in a different way, yet you can say it’s a Maserati.
“So, what we are looking at is what’s the next thing for Maserati. Because the current look is now kind of finished, and we’ve started [looking into] this. If you wait a few months, you’ll see what we are thinking.” This was later confirmed to be a concept car at the Paris Motor Show.
The historic Italian brand has been under lots of scrutiny over the past few years due to sluggish sales. Its current model range has failed to resonate with buyers, across both its electrified and ICE ranges.
To add insult to injury, the high-end car market’s resistance to EVs has subsequently quashed most, if not all of the brand’s momentum. It had planned for electric cars to be a major part of its future.
As a direct consequence of this slow-down in EV development, Maserati has seen the cancellation of imminent product lines such as the all-electric MC20 Folgore, while it’s been rumoured that the next Quattroporte has been culled. These decisions have in effect halted the product plan in the short and medium terms, and with nothing in the immediate Stellantis portfolio suitable to underpin future models from the company, things have been looking rocky.
However, the confirmation of a Paris concept car shows that all is not silent at Maserati’s Modenese HQ. What the concept car will be is anyone’s guess at this stage, but expect a big departure from the neoclassical design language that’s been in play for most of the 21st century. But what do you think it could be? Supercar? Low-slug four-door saloon? We look forward to finding out.
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