Today is the Maserati’s 100th birthday and on this occasion the guys over at Autocar sat down with the big boss Harald Wester for a chat about the brand’s present and future. They also produced some amazing photographs of Maserati Alfieri to go with the interview.

Maserati Alfieri is currently a concept, but the response it’s been getting since it was first introduced has been so positive, it is almost a no-brainer for Maserati to put it into production. And indeed they are doing so, but in a year or two from now. The Alfieri, named after the most creative of the Maserati brothers, will part of a major expansion plan that calls for a six-model range and annual production volume of 50,000 units until 2018.

Maserati Alfieri is an important car for the brand’s image, since the rest of their lineup is going to be dominated by family cars. The new Quattroporte, for example, has gone soft and rather uninteresting in the new model. Then there is the Ghibli, the first-ever diesel-powered Maser, and the upcoming SUV, called Levante or whatever.

The concept Alfieri is powered by the same 4.7 liter V8 you find in the Gran Turismo. The production version will most likely boast a twin-turbo V6.

Read the interview @Autocar