Production of the medium-sized Maserati Ghibli is coming to an end. The automaker says it has no plans to continue production after 2022. It is another victim of the combined lack of sedan buyers and the coming electrification of the brand. But Maserati once had high hopes for the gateway car.

US sales never reached 13,000 a year

The Ghibli was set to faceoff with the BMW 5 Series when introduced in 2013. But it never came close to those numbers. Its sales helped to bump overall numbers in the US to almost 13,000 vehicles by the next year. However, 5 Series numbers in the US have been consistently around 40,000 other than in 2020 when everything was down. 

Maserati was able to sustain sales of around 12,000 for a few more years before they began tailing off. And as an entry-level car, it did get more enthusiasts into its seats in a limited way. Why? Because at $70,000, it was not an entry-level vehicle in the general sense. Only in the world of Maserati could it be considered such.

Now, 2022 Ghiblis start at $76,200. For that, you get the 3.0-liter V6. At 345 hp, if you want more power you can go with the 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6. That gives you 580 hp and 538 lb-ft of torque. Its 0-60 time is at four seconds flat. 

What will replace the Ghibli?

With the Ghibli gone, the upcoming Grecale crossover becomes Maserati’s entry-level product. It uses the Giorgio platform from the Alfa Romeo Stelvio sedan. Though details are few at this time, it is expected to have both a four-cylinder base model and a variety of V6 engines, with at least one hybrid. The Grecale was expected to have been available by now but has been pushed back to the middle of 2022.  

The next sedan in Maserati’s portfolio is the Quattroporte. It has also seen lackluster sales of late, so the expectation is for it to also get the ax. The sixth-generation Quattroporte also debuted in 2013, so it too has been in production for 10 years. 

As for the Ghibli, the name dates back to 1966, when the Giorgetto Giugiaro-designed two-seater was first introduced. Deliveries started in the spring of 1967. The V8-powered fastback had a top speed of 155 mph and 0-60 time of 6.8 seconds. 

A convertible Ghibli was added in 1969

Giugiaro penned the design while still at Ghia. A convertible version came out in 1969. Today, they’re rare and pricey. Only 1,170 coupes and 125 Spyders were made, with the last one being built in 1973. 

After that, the Ghibli name went into dormancy, before its revival in 1992. But this Ghibli was nothing like the original grand touring masterpiece. This was a four-seat, two-door sedan. It still could be considered a luxury car but was more along the lines of a BMW 3 Series. 

Production for this second-generation model ended toward the end of 1998. Again, the name was put in storage before the current version debuted in 2013. Maserati has always been seen as a poor man’s Ferrari. Now, both are under the same Stellantis umbrella, which is tasked with finding a market for a brand that is in the middle of reinventing itself.