► New Maserati GranTurismo for 2020

► Brand-new platform shared with other models

► V8 range-topper, hybrid capability may feature

The recent refresh of Maser’s long-running GranTurismo flagship (pictured below) and its sister GranCabrio might seem like an update for update’s sake, but it’s simply a holding pattern.

It needs to cling on to the 3500-or-so customers a year who are still interested in the brand’s talent for building front-engined, rear-driven four-seat GT cars with large, characterful engines. That’s because in 2020 we’re going to see an all-new GranTurismo, and that’s big news, because a lot of water has passed under the political bridge since the current car was introduced a decade ago. The world’s a different place.

Hang on. Weren’t we promised an all-new Maserati GranTurismo in 2018?

You were. Actually, more precisely, Maserati originally claimed we’d have a new one way back in 2015. However, the latest from Modena is an estimated arrival around 2020.

The reason for the delay? Expect an all-new platform, set to underpin multiple future Maser models, including both booster-hybrid (à la SQ7/Bentayga 48-volt systems) and pure electric capability along with the likely range-topping candidate – the V8 bi-turbo used in the Quattroporte GTS.

With the introduction of a new platform, there’s no issue ditching the old ZF six-ratio slushbox in favour of the near-ubiquitous eight-speeder we know and enjoy in countless other cars.

A chat with one of the firm’s development engineers gleaned the desire to use electrical assistance as a torque-filling measure for the GT; there’s no hiding the fact that turbocharging could very easily damage that all-important Maser character. Let’s just hope they’ll find a way to bypass the dreaded sock-in-the-tailpipe noise penalty of a blower in the exhaust system.

You won’t find a diesel engine smoking its way into the GranTurismo’s recipe, though.

What will the next GranTurismo look like?

You’ll have to wait until the first quarter of next year to see a working concept, but expect a blend of classical design elements from the current model mixed with more aggressive sculpting as seen on the Alfieri concept (pictured top-of-page).

Stay tuned for more news from Modena over the coming nine months.