After the first pictures of the new Ghibli sedan leaked onto the web, Maserati went ahead and officially announced its debut at the Shanghai Motor Show later this month. The main goal of this mid-size sedan is to help with Maserati’s growth plan to sell 50,000 cars per year.

Now, if we look at Maserati’s history, they never had the best of luck with small and rather affordable saloon cars. The utterly dreadful Maserati Biturbo of the 80’s is a classic point in case. However, chances of the Ghibli becoming an instant hit are actually pretty good, as this car is basically a discount version of the hugely popular – but very expensive – Quattroporte. It offers an appealing package.

Maserati has also confirmed the engine lineup for the Ghibli, and includes two turbocharged V6 units – one petrol and one diesel. So no V8. The drivetrain consists of an eight-speed automatic transmission and both rear-wheel drive and the new “Q4” all-wheel drive system, first introduced in the new Quattroporte.

As for the looks, while Maserati Ghibli does not seem to be as desirable and sexy as the Quattroporte, compared to its main rivals – BMW 5 Series, Audi A7, and Mercedes E-Class – it looks pretty good. Mind you, the Italian car will almost certainly be substantially more expensive than the its German equivalents.