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Maserati to recall Quattroporte and Ghibli over shifter

On Thursday, documents on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website revealed that Maserati is preparing to recall 13,092 2014 Quattroporte and Ghibli sedans because of a "counter-intuitive" gear shift lever. The shifter may lead drivers to believe the car is in park while it's actually in reverse, potentially causing the car to roll away. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Maserati's parent company, has recalled 1.1 million vehicles worldwide for this same issue. The affected vehicles span several model years and all share a ZF-designed eight-speed automatic transmission. The shifter design in these vehicles is similar to but not exactly like the one in the two Maseratis. Currently, 41 injuries have been attributed to this issue. There seems to be no indication of hardware failure for any of these incidents. In the United States, the 2012-14 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 and 2014-15 Jeep Grand Cherokee were named in this first recall. Actor Anton Yelchin's recent death, caused when he was crushed by his 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee, may be related. As of the current model year, the Charger, 300, and Grand Cherokee have an updated shifter design. According to the documents, FCA is currently working on a software update that will remedy the issue. Because the solution must be tested and verified, the company doesn't expect it to be ready for another few months. Both recalls were brought about after a NHTSA investigation. In May, NHTSA suggested Maserati issue a recall and on June 1 the company agreed with the group's assessment, though Maserati did tell NHTSA that they have had no complaints of vehicles rolling away. We're currently waiting on comment from Maserati North America and will update the story when more information is available. Related Video: Recalls Maserati Luxury Sedan maserati ghibli

Maserati returns to Indianapolis to commemorate historic win

This past weekend was Memorial Day weekend, folks, and you know what that means: racing. There was the Monaco Grand Prix for Formula One fans, and back Stateside there was the Indianapolis 500. You might expect to see a name like Maserati pop up at the former more than the latter, but that wasn't always the case.
These days its all about Dallara chassis powered by Chevy or Honda, but over the course of a century there have been plenty of foreign automakers that have won the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. McLaren won it twice in the 1970s, Mercedes and Peugoet won during the race's pre-WWI infancy, and in between them Boyle Racing won it two years in a row with a Maserati chassis and engine.
The car was the Maserati 8CTF "Boyle Special," and its first win came 75 years ago. So to mark the occasion (as well as Maserati's 100th anniversary), the car was brought back to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a revival lap. Unfortunately Wilbur Shaw, who won the Indy 500 three times (twice in the Maserati) and went on to be president of the speedway, died in a plane crash the day before his 52nd birthday in 1954. So in his place fellow three-time winner Johnny Rutherford took the wheel of the 8CTF in front of the gathered crowds.

Maserati Ghibli Trofeo, Quattroporte Trofeo revealed with Ferrari V8; Levante Trofeo updated

Maserati just revealed a new Trofeo line of vehicles. They include the Ghibli Trofeo, Quattroporte Trofeo and an updated Levante Trofeo. We’re most excited about the new Ghibli Trofeo, which drops a V8 into the smaller Ghibli for the first time. Just like the Levante Trofeo, itÂ’s using the Ferrari 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 that makes a whopping 580 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque. This is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, and power is routed exclusively to the rear wheels. Yeah Â… itÂ’s bound to be a bit hair-raising. Maserati says the 0-62 mph run is completed in 4.3 seconds, and it has a top speed of 202 mph. Updates to the exterior include new 21-inch wheels, carbon aero trim, black grille, rear extractor, more air outlets on the hood, redesigned taillights and the trident Trofeo badge sitting aft of the rear window. A new Trofeo script badge sits above red-accented trim on the fender for all three models now, too. Next up is the Quattroporte Trofeo. This one amounts to more of an incremental update, as Maserati already sells the Quattroporte in GTS trim. The V8 engine makes 530 horsepower in that lesser trim, but Maserati pumps it up to the full 580 horses for the Trofeo. Power is sent to the rear wheels only in this model. Since itÂ’s a larger and heavier sedan than the Ghibli, 62 mph comes two tenths of a second slower at 4.5 seconds. Top speed is identical to the Ghibli at 202 mph, though. Last up is the Levante Trofeo, which makes do with the same exact engine as before. Interestingly enough, the Levante is quicker to 62 mph than the sedans, hitting the mark in just 4.1 seconds. However, Maserati has dressed up the exterior and interior a bit more. The three share interior design details, including Pieno Fiore leather, trident-embossed headrests, carbon trim and Trofeo-specific digital graphics.  The Ghibli and Quattroporte gain larger 10.1-inch touchscreens with better resolution. Maserati retained the 8.4-inch screen on the Levante, but updated it with better graphics and a higher resolution. Both timing and pricing remain question marks for the new Trofeo models. Related video: