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Maserati confirms mystery concept, Zegna edition QP for Geneva

Debate ensued last week around the Autoblog offices when we first heard rumors that Maserati was bringing a new sports car concept to the Geneva Motor Show this year. Could there be any truth to the rumors? Did the timing make any sense? Does Maserati even need a two-door halo car to help it move examples of the new Ghibli, Quattroporte and upcoming Levante?
Well, we still don't have any official answer, but Maserati has indeed confirmed a new concept car to debut this week at the Swiss expo. The Modenese automaker hasn't indicated what form the concept will take, but assuming it's not doing another sedan or crossover, and unless it's planning a wagon concept like Touring's Bellagio Fastback or StudioTorino's Cinqueporte (both based on the previous Quattroporte), we feel it's more likely than not that we'll be looking at a two-door (be it a coupe, convertible or something in between).
Of course, we also don't know at this point just what size and segment Maserati is pursuing with this concept car (initial rumors had it going after the Jaguar F-Type) or for that matter whether it will presage a production version to follow or simply stand as a design study. But Maserati doesn't typically do many of the latter: the Kubang concepts of 2011 and 2003 previewed the Levante (albeit several years in advance), and the Birdcage was really more of a Pininfarina project, despite the Trident on the nose. With the exception of a couple production-based show cars (which themselves previewed production versions to follow), those are pretty much the only concepts Maserati has done in recent memory.

Maserati rapidly expanding dealer network

With the new Quattroporte and Ghibli sedans out on the market, and the new Levante crossover and Alfieri coupe on their way, Maserati is making serious headway towards revitalizing its lineup. Now all it needs in order to reach its ambitious sales targets is to expand the network of dealers where they're to be sold. And according to Maserati chief Harald Wester in speaking to Automotive News at the Paris Motor Show, that's exactly what it has in store.
At the end of last year, Maserati had 79 dealerships across the United States. It has already boosted that number to 100 so far this year, but before 2014 is over, it plans to open another 20 to bring the total up to (carry the two, divide by the square-root of Pi)... 120 showrooms.
Globally speaking, Maserati reportedly closed 2012 with around 220-230 dealers around the world, and currently has about 355, but aims to close 2015 with a worldwide network of 450 dealers, representing a doubling of its network in two years' time. Having more than a quarter of those in the US alone is testament to how seriously Maserati takes the American market.

2014 Maserati Ghibli prototype spied for the first time

Looking to better compete with mainstream luxury automakers, Maserati has already announced its plans for expanding its model lineup. Now, these spy shots give us our first look at a new, smaller sedan that resurrects the Maserati Ghibli nameplate. Seen for the first time as a prototype rather than a Quattroporte-based test-mule, this is the closest-to-production view of the upcoming Ghibli thus far.
Aside from its name, we don't know much about the 2014 Ghibli, but we do hear that this Maserati, like the upcoming Maserati Levante SUV, will have a direct lineage to a Chrysler product. While the Levante will be based on the Jeep Grand Cherokee, it sounds like the Ghibli could use the Chrysler 300 as its starting point. This means that the standard version of the car could get Chrysler's 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 - rumored to produce around 400 horsepower - paired with the latest eight-speed automatic transmission; sportier trim levels would almost certainly get a V8 from Ferrari rather than using the 300C's Hemi.
As for some of the details apparent in the spy photos, we can obviously see the size difference between these two cars when comparing previous spy shots of the newly released 2014 Quattroporte, which we drove last week. We also see that this car gets some performance-oriented, cross-drilled brake rotors, and based on the depth of the snow in which this car was caught testing, we also wouldn't rule out the use of all-wheel-drive on the Ghibli.