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Maserati calling in new Quattroporte for electrical issue

Exotic automobiles are just that: exotic. As in, rare. While Maserati is trying is darnedest to emerge from the fringes, its products are still less common than competitors from Germany, Japan or even the UK. Which is probably - more so than any superior quality or safety standards - why we rarely see the Trident marque's products the subject of a recall. Although it does happen upon occasion.
Back in the spring, Maserati had to call in over seven thousand examples of the Quattroporte, GranTurismo and Alfa 8C over rust issues. Now that the new Quattroporte is upon us, the Modenese automaker has apparently run into another small problem.
This time the issue revolves around the wiring harness for the alternator/starter motor, an improper crimp in which could cause the battery cable to short and start a fire. As a result, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is prompting 63 owners of the 2014 Quattroporte GTS V8 to bring their cars in to their local Maserati dealer to have the wiring harness replaced.

Alfieri headed for production based on strong Maserati sales

Maserati has been on a heck of a product surge recently. After years of subsiding on versions of the previous Quattroporte and the aging GranTurismo, the Modense automaker rolled out the new Quattroporte the year before last, the Ghibli last year, it will introduce the Levante crossover next year and - according to the latest intel - will begin production of the Alfieri sports car the year after that.
The Alfieri concept debuted just last month at the Geneva Motor Show, taking the form of a two-door sports car foreshadowing the brand's new design language. Reception was positive, but it appears that sales of Maserati's existing models is what's giving the Alfieri the green light.
According to Automotive News, citing an interview given by Maserati chief Harald Wester on Bloomberg Television, the brand has been getting 3,500 orders per month, putting it on track to sell 42,000 units this year - nearly three times as much as the 15,400 it sold in 2013. The profits generated off those orders could be enough by themselves to offset the losses which Fiat is expected to record this year based on flagging sales for the Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Jeep brands in Europe.

Fiat set to invest $12B on new models, stop Euro losses in 3 years

Naturally, you'd expect a massive automaker like Fiat to have an in-depth plan to exit the current European-market doldrums, and you'd expect that plan to include plenty of new vehicles to attract those precious buyers that still remain despite the financial downturn. And you'd be right, though Fiat does seem to have a few unexpected twists up its corporate sleeve.
Perhaps the biggest shocker is a report that Fiat will completely drop the Punto, a car with mass-market appeal aimed at small-car buyers cross-shopping the popular Volkswagen Polo. Its replacement will be a five-door Fiat 500 aimed at upmarket buyers (sounds awfully similar to the 500L) that will be built in Poland. Lower-end customers will reportedly be served by variants of the Fiat Panda.
Borrowing a page from the BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen playbook, reports Automotive News, Fiat is said to have plans to reignite production at its Italian factories by retooling them to build high-end vehicles from Maserati and Alfa Romeo. These will be marketed as premium products, built by skilled Italian workers (who are paid wages that are 75-percent higher than those building Fiats in Poland), and will be sold around the world.