Report: Maserati compact roadster due potentially by 2016, turns down LaFerrari-based supercar

Maserati has been getting a lot of attention as of recent since the small sports and luxury automaker has been readying what seems to be a barrage of new models following parent company Fiat’s aggressive plans of expansion. That said, AutoExpress of the UK reports that Maserati has a new rumored compact mid-engined sports car in the works and is said to be hitting the market by 2016.

“We don’t want to lose the identity of sportiness for Maserati. There will be the new Gran Cabrio and GranTurismo in 2015 and the year after that we are thinking of a new smaller sports car.” Maserati of Europe’s General Manager, Giulio Pastore, told AutoExpressUK.

Considering that Maserati is owned by Fiat, who also owns Alfa Romeo, who just released the new 4C convertible, you could probably already see why Maserati is looking to concoct a compact mid-engined roadster of their own. However, to mystify this rumor, Pastore supposedly didn’t specifically say that it will be based on the Alfa 4C because “it would require us [Maserati] to create a more sporty,[and] all-new body.”

But in this day and age of modular platforms that are shared amongst the corporate stable, it wouldn’t be too far-fetched of a hunch. Furthermore, the potential compact mid-engined Maserati to be would only be a two-seater.

In the same discussion, Pastore also revealed that Maserati turned down its plans to produce a spin-off model based on the all-new Ferrari LaFerrari hypercar just like they did in the past with the Ferrari Enzo-based MC12.

Additionally, Pastore emphasized the success of the Quattroporte and the Ghibli are crucial to the greenlight for the compact roadster. That said, only time stands between us and the next update.

– By: Chris Chin

Source: AutoExpressUK