Posted on: Aug 10, 2012 | 17,973 reads

What is Maserati Basing the New Levante Sedan On?

There are a number of ways Maserati could be going with its new baby Quattroporte and its big brother. The question is which road it's taking.

For a company with essentially two models lines, Maserati has some big expansion plans. To the GranTurismo and Quattroporte models, the Modense automaker is soon to add an SUV and is eying a mid-engined supercar based on the 4C it is building for Alfa Romeo. But it's also doubling down on the QP. To replace the current four-door sedan, Maserati is making two new models. The larger Quattroporte will grow to the size of BMW 7 Series, while the smaller - dubbed Levante - will take on the 5 Series.

Farah Gets Shot Up in Bulletproof Benz First Look at Gallardo Replacement in the Wild Maserati MC12 Can be Yours for only $1.6m

That much we already knew from previous reports. The question is, what will they be based on? Conflicting reports have different answers to that question, so let's look at the possibilities. Scenario 1, as Autocar most recently claimed, has Maserati basing the Levante on the platform that underpins sister-company Chrysler's 300. That in itself was based on an old Mercedes-Benz E-Class platform from when Chrysler and Daimler were still in bed together, and dates back to the turn of the millennium. In other words, it's damn old. That would leave Maserati with a lot of work to do to hide the chassis' age.

What is Maserati Basing the New Levante Sedan On?

Scenario 2 would have both models based on the same M139 platform that underpins the current Quattroporte as well as the GranTurismo and Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione. The architecture traces its roots back to the 3200 GT and GranSport that predated the current GranTurismo. In other words, it's also getting old. Scenario 3 has Maserati developing one or both of its new sedans on a new platform said to be developed together with Alfa Romeo. The flexible architecture would also underpin Alfa's upcoming new Giulia sedan to replace the 159, and potentially a larger model as well.

Whatever option parent company Fiat were to go for, you can bet it has already made its decision, the outcome of which is already well into its development cycle. We're just curious to see which the Italians went for.