Maserati unveils 2014 Quattroporte sedan ahead of Detroit Auto Show

“If you want a Ferrari sedan, go buy a Maserati.�

So said Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa this summer to dispel rumors that Ferrari would ever build anything with four doors.

The closest you’ll get to a sedan with a prancing horse on the hood? Maserati’s 2014 Quattroporte sedan, which the company announced Tuesday it would officially unveil at January’s Detroit Auto Show. The new car is part of the company’s ambitious global expansion plans.

Photos: 2014 Maserati Quattroporte

The previous version of the Quattroporte (which literally means “four doors�) has been with us since 2004, so it was certainly time for an update. While specifics weren’t announced, Maserati did confirm the new model would have an engine “designed and developed� by Ferrari engineers and the powerplant would be built in Ferrarii’s Maranello, Italy plant (both companies are owned by Fiat).

The engine is promised to be more powerful and efficient than its predecessor, which was a 4.2-liter V-8 making 400 horsepower and moving the sedan from 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds. Eagle-eyed observers will note in the photos that the rear license plate says “QP 530 HP,� a potential nod to 530 horsepower.

The Quattroporte’s styling is all new, though the front certainly bears a family resemblance to Maserati’s coupe, the GranTurismo. The rear looks relatively subdued for an Italian sedan, and one can’t help but notice the 2013 Ford Fusion’s hindquarters are nearly more Maserati than this Maserati.

But the company is hoping this design appeals to a wide audience. Maserati says it aims to sell 50,000 vehicles globally by 2015, quite a leap from the 6,100 vehicles it sold in 2011. Not only should this new Quattroporte sedan help Maserati hit that goal, but so too will a pair of new models slated to debut in the near future.

A long-rumored SUV called the Levante will be based on the same platform as the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango, and it will likely be built in the U.S. (Fiat also owns a majority stake in the Chrysler Group).

Maserati is also planning a smaller sedan than the Quattroporte (think BMW 5-Series size), which will be called the Ghibli.

Stay tuned right here for more details on the 2014 Quattroporte as they become available and watch for live coverage from the floor of the 2013 Detroit Auto Show in mid-January.

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