Maserati Aims to Hike Annual Output to 50,000 Units

Fiat SpA says its Maserati luxury sports car brand will boost production at its factories to 50,000 vehicles per year by 2015 from about 6,000 units last year.

The output will include vehicles built for other Fiat brands. Maserati's plant in Modena, Italy, will begin producing a new Alfa Romeo model in May 2013, according to Fiat. It says annual output will be as much as 2,500 vehicles per year.

Union leaders at the Modena factory confirm that the new model will be the Alfa 4C GTA two-seater sports car. Alfa has said it plans to make its mass-market re-entry to the American market in mid-2013 with the 4C. Alfa has sold a small number of the $240,000 8C Competizione supercar in the U.S. since 2008.

The company said last year it aims to hike Maserati sales to at least 55,000 units. The brand sold 6,200 cars worldwide in 2011.

Maserati confirms that to meet that aggressive goal it will introduce a new E-segment sedan, a new luxury SUV and a next-generation Quattroporte sedan. The brand also makes the GranTurismo and GranCabrio coupes at the Modena facility.

Fiat is spending €500 million to upgrade a former Bertone SpA factory in Grugliasco, Italy, to make the large sedan. The company has said the Maserati SUV, which will ride on a Jeep platform, will be built at a Chrysler Group LLC facility in Detroit. Fiat owns 58.5% of Chrysler.