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Maserati teases all-electric 2022 GranTurismo prototype

Maserati trotted out an early prototype of the 2022 GranTurismo this week, teasing the all-electric replacement for its long-running luxury coupe. The spy-style photographs were shot around the streets of Modena, near the automaker's Innovation Lab, Maserati said in the announcement accompanying the shots. The previous-generation GranTurismo was in production for 12 years before finally retiring in 2019.  The new GranTurismo and its drop-top counterpart, the GranCabrio, have been in development since 2019, but it wasn't until more recently that Maserati confirmed that the next-gen two-doors would spearhead (trident-head?) the company's electrification push. We expect it to borrow from Maserati's upcoming Folgore powertrain which can be configured with up to three electric motors for both all-wheel drive and torque vectoring.  "Going electric is the next logical step. We are trying to avoid unnecessary air openings and air outlets, in contrast to some of our competitors that seem to depend on them to convey a message," explained Maserati head of design Klaus Busse in a previous interview with Autoblog. "In our case, it's about the purity of the body. We can further purify the car by reducing the amount of air intakes and air outlets, which will help us tell the design story even better." We expect to learn details of the all-electric GranTurismo later this year.  Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Ken Block's Gymkhana 8 to feature Dubai Police cars?

Yesterday we showed you the shiny Ford Fiesta that Ken Block will slide, spin, and hoon through the next Gymkhana video. In case the image above isn't clear, that video will drop at midnight EST on February 30th on the Ford Performance YouTube channel. We don't know all the entire premise of the video yet, but this Tweet from the man himself reveals that the video will be set in Dubai. Block is standing on the Fiesta we saw yesterday, and arrayed behind him are a handful of those famous Dubai Police cars you're probably familiar with. The force has a fleet of sportscars and supercars, and the purpose is outreach and goodwill among its citizenry, not necessarily the pursuit of criminals. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. From left to right, we can see a Maserati GranTurismo, Porsche 911, what looks to be a Nissan GT-R obscured by Block's Fiesta, a McLaren (likely a 650S), Ford Mustang, and a Ferrari 599 of some ilk. Will they take part? Maybe Block will try and run from what might be the most horsepower-intensive police fleet in the world. We'll have answers (and a few minutes of pure Block hooniganism) in a few days. Related Video:

Maserati Grecale and Alfa Romeo Tonale delayed

MILAN — Maserati on Monday delayed the launch of its new Grecale SUV until the spring of 2022 from November this year due to a global chip shortage. The announcement by the luxury brand, part of Stellantis, comes as a shortage of semiconductors forces automakers around the world to slow or suspend production. Maserati said its decision stemmed from ongoing disruptions in the supply of parts. "In particular, due to a scarcity of semiconductors, production volumes would not adequately meet expected global demand," Maserati said in a statement. A global premiere for the Grecale, which will be produced in Cassino in central Italy, was initially scheduled for Nov. 16. Stellantis this month also confirmed it would present the Tonale, the new Alfa Romeo SUV, next March after it had been expected at the end of this year. Stellantis, formed this year though the merger of Fiat Chrysler and France's PSA, has halted production at several plants, including in Europe and Canada, due to the chip shortage. It has forecast it will produce 1.4 million fewer vehicles this year. The FIM-CISL union has said the impact of a semiconductor shortage on Stellantis' Italian production this year will be worse and longer-lasting than the damage to output caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Related video: