Beneteau America announced the upcoming launch of two new models of express cruisers, the GT40 and GT46, which will renew the Gran Turismo range. The American premiere of the two yachts will take place at the Miami Boat Show on Collins Avenue, February 11-15, 2016.
Well renowned Italian designers Nuvolari and Lenard, who already penned various boats in the Beneteau family including the Monte Carlo range, were again asked to create the design of the two new Gran Turismo models, thus continuing the fruitful partnership with Beneteau. The industrial capacity and research commitment from the Beneteau shipyard is very well demonstrated by some innovative aspects of their production, such as the development of their Air Step technology in hull design.
The GT40 and GT46 both are the perfect representation of the ultimate sport cruiser concepts, balancing a strong sporting character with luxurious and yet practical life onboard.
They have a versatile hard top that can be electrically removed, which provides the owner with both the safe feeling of an enclosed boat (the GT46 includes an optional sliding door to fully enclose the cockpit) and the sensations of an open craft. The removable hard top also increases the spaciousness of the cockpits and make them easily convertible into a sun lounge, letting plenty of natural light shine in.
The cockpits can comfortably accommodate over twelve guests in the GT46 and up to ten in the GT40. Both the boats features an extra outdoor seating area at the bow with adjustable backrests on the foredeck.
The layouts of the lower deck have been developed to give an unusual feeling of space on boats of this size.
The GT40 streamlined planing hull was designed to provide industry-changing performance, efficiency and comfort, which are a result of the Beneteau-patented Air Step technology.
The GT40 can reach a top speed of 35 knots and the Volvo-Penta sterndrive system comes standard with joystick docking functionality, while the GT46, for the first time in the industry, offers a step hull design in conjunction with Volvo Penta IPS propulsion technology (the boat is also available with sterndrive capability).
More space for design: when technology frees creativity
Redazione
October 6, 2026
On a yacht, every centimetre occupied by technical infrastructure is space taken away from something else. Reducing its footprint means reclaiming valuable areas and giving interior designers greater freedom in shaping onboard spaces. For Nextworks, this is precisely where the role of a solution provider begins.
