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2015 Maserati Ghibli gets the lightest of updates [w/video]

Maserati continued its centennial celebration this week with a lightly updated version of the 2015 Ghibli at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
The sedan is enhanced with navigation and Bluetooth features, which are now standard. Reinforcing that this is a light refresh, Maserati gave the brake calipers a new finish, and contrasted stitching is also added on the Ghibli and Ghibli SQ4 models.
Maserati is also throwing in a free three-month "all-access" subscription to SiriusXM satellite radio for the Ghibli, Quattroporte and GranTurismo.

Mid-engined, 621-horsepower MC20 inaugurates a new era for Maserati

No longer embedded in the gap separating Alfa Romeo and Ferrari, Maserati is preparing to give its range of models an overhaul that's so comprehensive it merits its own chapter in the firm's history. The first car in this installment isn't a volume-generating crossover or a politically correct electric car (though, fear not, both are coming soon). It's a mid-engined, 621-horsepower coupe designed with an unabashed focus on performance. Called MC20, it will join a segment dominated by Lamborghini, McLaren, and former sister company Ferrari. Maserati explained developing the MC20 took about two years thanks in part to software-based simulation testing that saves the firm a significant amount of time and money. 97% of dynamic tests were performed using simulator designed in-house, and engineers then fine-tuned the car by testing it in real-world road and track conditions around the world. Lap times were extremely important, because the MC20 was built to race. We'll need to wait to find out where it will compete, and what it will look like in full racing regalia. Maserati has only unveiled the street-legal variant, which wears a low-mounted oval grille, swept-back headlights, and triangle-shaped rear lights. All of the brand's defining characteristics are accounted for, and stylists intentionally weaved a handful of subtle references to the MC12 built in 2004 and 2005 into the design. Viewed from the side, it wears the typical proportions we expect from a mid-engined supercar. It upholds Italy's well-earned reputation for creating poster-worthy supercars that blur the line between transportation and art Da Vinci would be proud of. Slightly bigger in person than in photos, the 3,306-pound MC20 stretches 184 inches from end to end, 77 inches wide and 48 inches tall. Its cargo capacity checks in at 1.8 cubic feet in the frunk and 3.5 cubes in the trunk. For context, the 3,423-pound Lamborghini Huracan measures 176, 76 and 46, respectively. And, for another mid-engined point of reference, the 2,943-pound Porsche 718 Cayman measures 172, 71 and 51, respectively.  Maserati chose not to give the MC20 active aerodynamic components, though the coupe depends on a small, neatly integrated rear spoiler for downforce, and it relied extensively on carbon fiber to keep weight in check. It also installed butterfly doors, but they're more functional than their made-for-Instagram flair suggests.

Alfa Romeo will gain a Jeep Compass-based SUV

It was reported earlier this week that FCA would invest into its Italian factories to ramp up production at currently underutilized locations. Those plans have now been clarified with official information from FCA, as reported by Automotive News. The entire investment is worth $5.7 billion. First of all, Alfa Romeo will gain a new compact SUV based on the Jeep Compass architecture. The still-unnamed model will be available as a plug-in hybrid, and it will be built in Pomigliano, Italy. No U.S. availability has yet been announced, but it would not be odd to see the Compass-based model sold below the Stelvio in the States. The last time Alfa Romeo had anything similar in its model portfolio was when it offered Crosswagon-badged four-wheel-drive versions of the 156 and 159 wagons. As for the Jeep Compass itself, it will begin to be built at the Melfi plant in Italy. The rumored small "baby" Jeep slotting under the Renegade has not yet been officially mentioned. Fiat will introduce a battery electric 500, built in Turin, and the Pomigliano plant that will make the compact Alfa Romeo SUV will also be used to build a mild hybrid version of the Panda city car. The 500X will gain a PHEV variant. The Stelvio platform will also spawn a corresponding SUV for Maserati, and FCA also mentioned Maserati will introduce a new, unnamed model it will make in Modena. Automotive News quotes Italian press as saying this will be the Alfieri coupe and convertible, also offered as battery electric versions. Related Video: