Low Miles, Powerful Engine, Luxury Meets Sport Sedan, Performance Vehicle on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2024 Maserati GranCabrio previewed in official photos

The new 2024 Maserati GranTurismo made its official debut in September 2022, so it stands to reason that the GranCabrio is right around the corner. It's not ready for its big debut yet, but "official spy shots" released by the company give us a decent idea of what to expect. While the prototype is covered in camouflage, we can tell it looks a lot like the GranTurismo from the rocker panels to the belt line. That's not a bad thing: The second-generation coupe is characterized by an elegant, swoopy design that perfectly embodies the definition of a grand tourer. Above the belt line, the GranCabrio receives a power-operated cloth soft top. Photos of the interior haven't been released yet, though it's reasonable to assume the coupe and the convertible will look a lot alike from the driver's point of view. Maserati told Autoblog that the GranCabrio range will mirror the GranTurismo's, so buyers will have three variants called Modena, Trofeo, and Folgore to choose from. Power for the Modena will come from Maserati's excellent Nettuno engine, a 3.0-liter V6 that's twin-turbocharged to 490 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque. This engine was developed in-house, and it's also found in the MC20 and the Grecale. Next up is the Trofeo, which will receive an evolution of the six rated at 550 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. The engine will spin the four wheels — that's a significant change, as the original GranCabrio was rear-wheel-drive — via an eight-speed automatic transmission. Alternatively, the electric Folgore model will use three motors rated at a combined 751 horsepower and 996 pound-feet of torque. That system is built around an 800-volt electrical system and linked to a 92.5-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack. "We're going to let buyers decide [whether they prefer the V6 or the EV]; we can scale production up or down depending on demand. We don't want to influence our customers' choice," William Peffer, the head of Maserati's North American division, told Autoblog. Additional details about the 2024 Maserati GranCabrio will emerge in the weeks leading up to its launch, which is scheduled for early 2023.

Hear the Maserati Alfieri clear its throat at Villa d'Este

We know that Maserati will eventually bring a version of its Alfieri Concept to the road, as a next-generation production model slated to arrive in 2016. Shown at the Concours d'Elegance at Villa d'Este, the Alfieri wowed spectators with its throaty singing voice, releasing a few barks and a very racy idle note. Sadly, we know it won't sound exactly like this when it goes on sale.
See, Maserati is adopting a V6-only plan with the Alfieri, so the 4.7-liter V8 shown in the concept and adopted from the GranTurismo, isn't going to make be available in the production model. That's not to say the production car will sound bad - we've every reason to believe it won't - but that this isn't an accurate representation of what the 2016 Alfieri will sound like.
Take a listen and a look at the video down below, then hop into Comments and let us know what you think.

Second 'No Time To Die' trailer drops with lots of crunching metal

The second trailer for the new James Bond film, "No Time To Die," was posted to social media Thursday morning, getting us thoroughly hyped for the forthcoming installment thanks to some spicy car content and lots of other ridiculous, big-budget action sequences.  Fair warning for the purists: This might contain plot- and character-related information from the trailer itself. Also, it appears that many Land Rover Defenders died in the making of this film, so the footage may not be for the faint of heart; don't say we didn't give you advance notice.  As is typical of Bond films, most of the automotive eye candy is of the European variety. The classic Aston Martin DB5 gadget car (which we saw doing some crazy machine-gun donuts in the first trailer) makes yet another appearance, as does what appears to be fourth-generation Maserati Quattroporte. There's even something which might be a car, but also appears to be both some sort of airplane and submersible. Never change, Bond. We love it.  And then there are the Defenders. We've got Defenders speeding down hillsides, Defenders crashing through forests, Defenders flying over Land Cruisers. Yeah, do you like Land Cruisers? There's a Land Cruiser. It even (spoiler alert!) survives relatively unscathed; the same cannot be said for most of the automotive shenanigans we get to see here.  "No Time To Die" was originally slated to debut back in April, but its original release date roughly coincided with the projected peak of early coronavirus infections. Given how important the Bond film franchise's continued success is to MGM (it's virtually the only thing the studio has had going for it for 30 years) and the producers (who only make Bond films), meager box office returns were not an option. The last film, Spectre, pulled in the worldwide gross of $880 million, including $200 million in the United States and $83.5 million in China. The wait is almost over. "No Time to Die" will hit theaters Nov. 25 in the United States.  Related Video: