2014 Maserati Ghibli – Sergio's Super Bowl Surprise

by Ronnie Schreiber

February 3rd, 2014 5:00 AM

2014 maserati ghibli sergio s super bowl surprise

Sergio Marchionne and crew surprised everybody by using the Super Bowl to premiere a long form ad (below) for the new Maserati Ghibli. One might question the wisdom of using the “big game” to promote a niche brand, but Sergio says he wants to sell 50,000 Maseratis a year and the Ghibli, which starts at ~$65,000, is a big part of that plan, so putting the entry level Maser in front of the biggest tv audience of the year makes some sense. The thing is that the ad is one of those that’s heavy on the stirring dramatic and philosophical voiceover and not quite so product intensive. You don’t get to see the actual car until more than a minute into the 90 second spot and then it flashes on screen for less than 10 seconds. The Ghibli site and configurator apparently crashed earlier under Super Bowl levels of traffic, but as of the middle of the third quarter of the game, it’s up and running. In case it crashes again, and you’d like to see what the Ghibli looks like, you’re in luck.

At the recent Detroit auto show, after the rich folks left, the show organizers allowed the media to come in and photograph the ultra-luxe cars on display at The Gallery, a event held at a local casino for 400 well heeled invitees. There was a Ghibli on display next to a Granturismo and a Quattroporte. I think it looks rather ordinary for an Italian [quasi] exotic. The front end seems pinched to me and the rear end looks like it could be on a Toyota or Hyundai. Franz von Holzenhaus’ Tesla Model S makes a much more attractive Maserati. The Ghibli will probably sell well though. It’s reasonably stylish from most angles and it has the name. After all, the Maserati name helped Lee Iacocca move some K car variants. I’m not sure what sales will be like in 2015 and 2016, though, after Ghibli owners discover what many Quattroporte buyers have learned: Maserati may be trying to compete with similarly priced German luxury sedans, but their cars may not be up to the rigors of daily driving the way those German cars are.

Stereo pics here.

Ronnie Schreiber edits Cars In Depth, a realistic perspective on cars & car culture and the original 3D car site. If you found this post worthwhile, you can get a parallax view at Cars In Depth. If the 3D thing freaks you out, don’t worry, all the photo and video players in use at the site have mono options. Thanks for reading – RJS

#2014MaseratiGhibli #Fiat.Chrysler #Maserati #SuperBowl #SuperBowlAds

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5 of 53 comments

VenomV12 on Feb 03, 2014

This ad was utter crap.

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Corey Lewis on Feb 04, 2014

Something about the wheel design on the one pictured really puts me off. It's not a flattering wheel for that car in white. It might work in a darker color, but probably not. I agree the rear end does look Hyundai-ish, and sort of like they overworked it. It's got some LaCrosse features along the sides as well. Overall, seems like it wishes it were the size and price of a real Maserati like the Quattroporte - but then decided not to try too hard. The front I could probably live with, but the rest is meh.

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- Vulpine on Feb 04, 2014
  
  Not all Maseratis were large sedans, some were quite svelte sporty coupés that while not in the class of the Jag E-type fell nicely in with the S-type. If you'll remember, a relatively late-model Maserati was traded in during the Cash for Clunkers deal which was, for me, very painful to read about. Personally I like the overall look and apparent size of this new Ghibli and I certainly like the sound. If its performance comes anywhere close to living up to the name, I could be interested--far more interested than a pickup truck at the same price.
  
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- Corey Lewis on Feb 04, 2014
  
  @Vulpine Sure, so they did large sedans and sporty coupes. But this is a midsize entry :). And FWIW, they have had some of the most beautiful designs throughout their storied history. The Mexico springs to mind. I'm only interested in the looks, as I already know the reliability will be tragic. Less reliable than the Germans for certain, and probably less so than the Jaguar option. Depreciation to match a McMansion in 2008.
  
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- Vulpine on Feb 04, 2014
  
  @Corey Lewis Honestly, we know nothing about Maserati's current reliability, though I'll acknowledge they don't have much of a reputation for such. On the other hand, the new Maseratis are based on Chyrsler platforms which have demonstrated significantly better reliability and the Fiat 500 is currently proving to be at least acceptable. Someone coming into it without knowing its old reputation might end up liking it where someone aware of its old rep might be pleasantly surprised. I've always been told not to buy the first year example of any new model, but in the one case that I did just that, I came out putting over 120,000 miles on it with no major OOP expense.
  
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