MODENA, Italy -- What's the sticker price for a four-door Maserati Quattroporte?

Even some luxury-car owners think the sporty, high-horsepower sedan carries a price similar to a Bentley or Aston Martin, says Maserati's boss.

"Nothing could be more wrong," says Karl-Heinz Kalbfell, CEO of Maserati S.p.A. "Maserati is more affordable than what the majority of car buyers and potential customers realize. This is a perception that we have to change."

Kalbfell spoke at a press event in Modena, Italy.

Last year, 1,550 of the hand-built, limited production Quattroporte sedans were sold in North America. About 3,600 were sold worldwide last year, up from 2,000 in 2004 when the Quattroporte was introduced.

Maserati sees price as a selling point. Text in Maserati's U.S. ads for the newest Quattroporte model, the 2006 Sport GT, says "models start around $108,000."

That's why Kalbfell doesn't like the idea of being linked - at least in terms of price - with a Bentley Flying Spur, which stickers at $171,285, including freight and gas-guzzler penalties.

With its newly expanded Quattroporte model range, Maserati is targeting shoppers considering Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Jaguar or Porsche models for $90,000 to $130,000. "This is a huge source of sales," says Kalbfell.

The Quattroporte model line consisted of one sedan until this year, when the 2006 Sport GT and the Executive GT debuted. A Ferrari-assembled 400-hp 4.2-liter V-8 is standard in each model, as is a Ferrari-engineered, six-speed semiautomatic transmission.

Generally speaking, the two new models are distinguished by performance tweaks for the Sport GT and luxury touches for the Executive GT.

For example, the electronics in the Sport GT's gearbox has been modified, resulting in shifts that are 35 percent faster than the other two models. The exhaust system provides a deeper rumbling sound during higher speeds.

The suspension syst***s adaptive dampening software has been retuned to accommodate the standard 20-inch wheels. The interior features carbon fiber inserts on the instrument panel.

The equipment added to the Quattroporte Executive GT was available separately as an option. It includes such standard features as front seats with heating and ventilation controls; rear-seat controls for the air conditioning and heating system; pull-down tables for the rear-seat passengers; and hand-operated blinds for the rear passenger windows.

MODENA, Italy - Maserati will offer a conventional automatic transmission in response to complaints about the jerky shifting of the Quattroporte sedan's semiautomatic gearbox.

The automatic will be offered next year, along with the current transmission. Rivals of the $108,350 base Quattroporte sedan, such as the BMW 7 series and Mercedes-Benz S class, have a smooth-shifting transmission.

Maserati S.p.A. CEO Karl-Heinz Kalbfell said the current transmission has hurt the Quattroporte's sales.

"It is to some extent a limiting factor for those who want an easy operation," said Kalbfell, who was interviewed at a Maserati event in Modena, Italy. "You cannot just put a car like a Maserati down and say, 'Here is the key.' "

Last year, 1,550 Quattroportes were sold in North America, out of about 3,500 worldwide.

Salesperson is key

The key to selling the car is the salesperson's description of the transmission, said Kalbfell: "If the salesman explains the gearshift (operation), suddenly the customer understands the technology and is satisfied."

The Quattroporte's six-speed, electrohydraulic transmission essentially is a manual transmission without a clutch pedal. The transmission was developed and engineered by Ferrari. Gears are switched by manually pressing paddle shifters on either side of the steering wheel.

Drivers also can select the automatic mode, which shifts gears without driver input. But some car-enthusiast publications and Quattroporte owners have complained that the transmission in automatic mode lurches and jerks on each shift.

Cauley Ferrari-Maserati in West Bloomfield, Mich., sold 23 Quattroportes last year. Sales would have been higher if a conventional automatic transmission was offered, said Dan Cable, general manager.

It was an issue "especially with people who were a little bit older who were coming to us out of Mercedes. They really liked the car, liked the styling, liked the performance, but would prefer a standard automatic transmission," said Cable.

Don't say 'automatic'

Jeff DiSandro, general manager of Continental Autosports in Hinsdale, Ill., said the key is to make sure shoppers view the transmission as a manual.

"When selling the car, you have to make people understand it is manual transmission with a computer controlled clutch. It is not an automatic," DiSandro said." Don't ever use the word 'automatic.' "

Kalbfell believes that despite the transmission issue, Maserati's North American sales will increase about 15 percent this year to near 2,500 units. Last year 2,114 Maserati vehicles were sold, including the brand's Coupe and Spyder models.

He says the Maserati brand will not be harmed by the fact that it no longer is controlled by Ferrari. Until last June, Ferrari operated Maserati.

Ferrari currently assembles the 400-hp 4.2-liter V-8 engine, based on Maserati specifications. Both brands, along with Alfa Romeo, are owned by Fiat S.p.A.

Today Maserati is a separate business unit that has product development ties to Alfa Romeo. As new vehicles are developed, Alfa and Maserati will share components.

In the past, Maserati components came from Ferrari. Kalbfell offered no timetable when the first Maserati and Alfa Romeo vehicles will share components.

Despite the change, he is confident the vehicle development strategy will not harm the Maserati brand.

"Even if the sporty character of Alfa and Maserati is similar, the customers are different. It is a different culture," so the vehicles will be different, said Kalbfell.

"Look at Porsche and Volkswagen - they are working together but they are still are Porsches and Volkswagens," said Kalbfell. "That is what we mean when we talk about this kind of relationship."