Following hard on the heels of its official North American debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show last week, Maserati's new luxury 4-door saloon, the Quattroporte, made a second public appearance at the Detroit Motor Show yesterday.

“I don’t want to comment on the outside lines of the car,” commented Sergio Pininfarina, “Because it speaks for itself. And although the car looks smaller, we are not afraid of comparison with any of the competition.” He was also keen to stress the depth of original thinking that had gone into the luxury interior. “Every luxury car uses wood. But here, the wood follows the shape of the car, as in a luxury boat. This is a new and innovative way of treating the wood.”

Rosewood, briarwood and mahogany are standard options, but buyers can personalize the cabin, including specifying a titanium finish if they wish. The rear wheel drive Quattroporte uses the Coupe and Spyder's 4.2-litre V8 re-mapped for this application, producing 400bhp.

Maserati returned to the North American market in 2002 after more than a decade’s absence, using the NAIAS as its launching pad. Maserati North America closed 2003 with sales of 960 cars, an increase of 13 percent from the 853 sold in 2002. Maserati officials said the sales figures are particularly significant because North America now has become its No. 1 market worldwide. The company noted that its higher sales also came against the backdrop of a luxury automobile segment that registered a fall-off of about 20 percent in 2003 in the U.S. The main markets for Maserati in the U.S. are California, Florida, Texas, the Northeast and the Midwest belt between Chicago and Detroit. In Canada, Toronto is Maserati’s biggest market.

Maurizio Parlato, president and CEO of Maserati North America for the past year, said the company is preparing for its third year of operation in North America. He said its dealership network of 40 dealers will be strengthened in 2004 with the launch of the Quattroporte.

In addition to introducing the Quattroporte in 2004, Maserati will enhance the Coupe and Spyder models. The Cambiocorsa is being equipped with upgraded software designed to make gear shifting effortless. A “hill-holder” device aids the driver in hill starts, automatically braking the vehicle for a few seconds while the driver switches from the brake to the gas. The upper part of the cabin has been modified for better visibility from the front. The Spyder adds jacket hooks to the seatbacks. The Maserati Info Center in both models has been improved, most notably by incorporating the antenna into the windshield for better radio reception.