Coinciding with the Italian marque's centennial celebrations, Maserati has reported the company's best ever sales performance in the Middle East and Africa region to date last year.

Compared to 2012, 24.5 per cent more vehicles bearing the trident marque were delivered to new customers in the region. Sales records were registered across all GCC and Levant markets, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

The region's strongest markets in terms of sales volume were Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which closed the year with the highest growth compared to 2012, it stated.

Maserati's best-selling model last year was the Quattroporte with 50.2 per cent of regional sales.

The successful launch of Maserati's new flagship model marked a milestone on the Italian brand's transition from niche manufacturer to globally established luxury car-maker. Available as Quattroporte S (410hp) or Quattroporte GTS (530hp), the sixth generation vehicle comes at a starting price of BD47,000 ($123,321).

Last year, the two-door Coupe range was enhanced by two new models: the race-bred four-seater GranTurismo MC Stradale and the GranCabrio MC.

Commenting on the new regional benchmark, Maserati Global Overseas Markets managing director Umberto Cini said: "During the past 12 months Maserati has made a giant leap forward in the development of the MEA markets.

"This historic sales record shows that we are on track for our global mission of producing 50,000 cars annually by 2015. To achieve this, we have heavily invested into the development of our latest models and our new state-of-the-art production facility in Grugliasco, Italy."

By expanding the model line-up as well as its dealer network, Maserati aims to open up its aspirational brand to a wider range of customers, thereby doubling its sales volume across the Middle East and Africa by next year.

The all-new Maserati Ghibli will be the cornerstone of another projected record year. The Ghibli marks Maserati's entrance into the E-Segment with an attractive price starting from BD28,995.

Both Ghibli and Ghibli S feature a new-generation twin turbo-charged 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine with 330 and 410hp respectively.-TradeArabia News Service