Maserati Announces Plans to Compete With - the BMW 5-Series?

A lot is going on in the Chrysler-Fiat world today, as the company is announcing strategic 5-year plans for its United States brands. That includes Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Maserati and Fiat.

One of the most interesting announcements has come from Maserati though, which has signaled its intention to compete with the BMW 5-Series.

Maserati, of course, is best known for its supercars. However, over the years the company has produced vehicles up and down the spectrum. Maserati Biturbo, anyone? In addition, while other exotic manufacturers are just now entering the four-door segment, Maserati has been there all along with the Quattroporte.

Now, they look to be taking that formula into a lower market segment - against the Audi A6, BMW 5-Series, and Jaguar XF. We would imagine the new model would primarily be competing against the sport variants of each of those cars, the S6, M5 and XFR.

According to the chart that Maserati showed, the vehicle will have a pricetag of under $74,000. Then, the Quattroporte would move into even higher territory.

This is a really interesting move by Maserati that should help guarantee the brand additional volume. There was no additional details beyond just the general vehicle category, so we're anxiously awaiting to hear more about this car.