Official - 2014 Maserati Ghibli will be the first diesel engined Maserati

Just a couple of hours ago, Maserati officially released the details and the pictures of their all new car - the Maserati Ghibli.

Long story short, the Ghibli is a four-door sedan much smaller than the current Quattroporte.

The Ghibli will be competing with the higher models of the BMW 5 Series, Mercedes E Class/CLS, Audi A6/A7 and the Jaguar XF.

Why does Maserati need to enter a lower segment you ask? That's because the Italian wants to sell at least 50,000 cars per annum by 2015. The Ghibli and the upcoming Levante SUV are key to achieving that number.

The Maserati Ghibli at a glance:

• Four-door sedan smaller than the Quattroporte
• Touted to be sportier than the Quattroporte
• Engine options include two 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 engines
• A 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 diesel will be available from day of launch making it the first diesel powered Maserati in history
• 8-speed automatic transmission on all variants
• Option of choosing either rear-wheel drive or the Q4 all wheel drive
• Official public unveiling set for Shanghai Motor Show taking place from April 20

The Ghibli will be produced from Maserati's facility in Grugliasco located in Piedmont, Italy. It will be made alongside the Quattroporte.

The new Maserati Ghibli will no doubt attract a lot of customers, many of them being first time Maserati prospects.