The last time we talked about the Maserati Alfieri, anonymous sources were telling Bloomberg that it was going to be delayed. The Italian automaker showed off its new Levante SUV at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, but its speedy and compact coupe was conspicuously absent. Australian outlet Motoring pressed Maserati on the Alfieri's absence at the show. They spoke to Maserati chief Harald Wester, and the answers regarding the car's fate weren't pretty. When asked if the Alfieri would launch in 2017, Wester replied "no comment."

Keep in mind that back at Geneva 2014 it was said that the Alfieri, or something like it, would launch in two years. Motoring then asked when the coupe would debut, only to have Wester reveal that the next cars planned were the replacements for the GranTurismo and GrandCabrio. "The next one will be substitution of GranTursimo, GranCabrio by successors. We already had discussion about Alfieri and I don't want to go into details," he said. Aside from the new Levante SUV, the future for Maserati doesn't seem too exciting. Wester himself doesn't even want to discuss it! "At this point my personal opinion is I think we talk too much about the future. Nobody else does, so I confirm what we said, that's it. You guys are just too curious."

Yes, it's fine for an executive to get short with journalists who poke and prod too much, but if Maserati had some cool stuff in the pipes (like the Alfieri) you think they would want to stoke the flames just a bit. The Levante SUV should help Maserati greatly in the sales section and should also bring new blood to the brand. A new coupe wouldn't flip the script overnight but it would be a breath of fresh air for a lineup that's going a bit stale and for an automaker that seems to constantly be in the news for the wrong reasons.