Italian luxury car manufacturer Maserati has reported a 155 per cent increase in 2014 sales in the Mena region compared to the same period in the previous year.

The growth was driven by the launch of the new Ghibli, Maserati’s first four-door sports executive sedan, as well as the Quattroporte, the brand’s flagship model, which received a new 330hp engine, a statement said.

The Ghibli accounted for just over half of retail sales in the region.

The GranCabrio and GranTurismo sports car models continued to sell well, pushed by the introduction of the 100 years of Maserati Centennial Edition.

The strongest performing markets in the region in terms of sales volume were the United Arab Emirates, taking 43 percent of the overall market and growing by a further 209 percent, followed by Saudi Arabia (+178 per cent growth) and Kuwait (+166 per cent growth). All other markets in the Middle East region also registered strong growth rates, in double and even triple digits.

Maserati’s sales and service infrastructure was further developed through the launch of a new importer in Jordan, the opening of a new showroom in Lebanon as well as launch of new service facilities in the UAE (Sharjah) and in Oman. Construction has already begun on new showrooms in Qatar and the UAE (Sharjah) as well as on a combined sales and service facility in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

On a global level, Maserati sold approximately 36,500 cars worldwide in 2014, an increase of 136 per cent compared to 2013 and almost six times the sales figure for 2012.

The year 2015 will see the introduction of the Q4, Maserati’s four-wheel drive system, on the Ghibli and Quattroporte sedan models. The launch will lead up to the market entry of Maserati Levante, the first luxury sports SUV by the Italian luxury marque.

“With the Levante, our first ever luxury sports SUV, arriving in the course of next year, we are committed to our target of selling 75,000 cars per annum by 2018,” said Umberto Cini, Maserati Global Overseas Markets managing director.

“With the new Quattroporte and Ghibli, we were able to grow significantly compared to only a few years ago where we sold just over 6,000 vehicles per year worldwide.

“However, in a global car market of around 70 million vehicles sold per year, Maserati will, without question, remain very exclusive indeed. The Levante will be a key product for Maserati to reach this goal, and particularly for the MEA region, considering its strong SUV affinity,” he added.

For 2014, Maserati posted a 136 per cent increase in shipments to 36,500 vehicles, driven by the success of the new Quattroporte and Ghibli models.

Its major markets include the US (2014: 14,690, plus 110 per cent), China (2014: 9,400, plus 148 per cent), Europe (2014: 6,360, plus 153 per cent) as well as Asia-Pacific (2014: 4,000, plus 206 per cent) and the Middle East (2014: 2050, plus 144 per cent).  – TradeArabia News Service