The new Maserati Quattroporte already has gaps in its camouflage

The speed at which images spread across the internet has made a magic formula more effective than ever for ending every brand’s product development secrets. Patent leaks plus spy photos amount to a revelation arriving too late. Sorry about Maserati, but its Quattroporte now has little or nothing left to hide from the outside, thanks to that combination.

The Italian manufacturer continues its summer testing of the next generation of its luxury saloon in the Turin area. This time it isn’t using a somewhat mutilated unit of the previous model as a mule; instead it is the new car in camouflage, as shown by photos from a sharp-eyed reader of Autoweek. The problem is that, whether deliberately or not, whoever applied the camouflage left key gaps that hide the Quattroporte’s most distinctive features.

It turns out that what can be seen on this test unit is exactly what the patents published at the start of the month showed. First, its size confirms it isn’t the “Maseratina” that will sit below the Quattroporte. Second, the GranTurismo will lend many of its traits to this generation, both at the front and at the rear.

At the front, slanted, split headlights can be seen, pointing to an even larger grille and giving it a more intimidating look. The mirrors will be similar in size but slimmer, while the window line will keep its rising, curved shape. Finally, the taillights will change from triangular to horizontal, with a rather generic design reminiscent of a Ford Galaxy or of some current Kia models.

Via | Autoweek