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Maserati bringing a car that "opens up new frontiers" to Paris

We're not expecting to see a production version of the coming mid-engined Maserati coupe, expected to be named GranSport, for another few years; however, we might see it in concept form in just a few weeks at the Paris Motor Show. Australian site Car Advice got hold of an e-mail Maserati sent to friends of the Trident, and the first of the six cars mentioned is a "world premiere of a car that opens up new frontiers in terms of exclusiveness, performance and style."
Car Advice says it has been told that this will be a concept form of the GranSport, the GranTurismo replacement set to take on the Porsche 911 with ample use of carbon fiber and a 1,200-kilogram (2,600-pound) curb weight or thereabouts. The GranTurismo's 4.7-liter V8 hasn't been ruled out of the engine bay yet according to reports, but rumors persist that it will use the Ferrari-sourced twin-turbo V6 with 442 horsepower running power to the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, and have a 0-60 time of something like four seconds.
We can't see the full content of the e-mail, but among the other five cars that have been announced for the stand are the GranTurismo Sport and GranTurismo MC Stradale. With the 2014 Quattroporte not appearing until the 2013 Detroit Auto Show, the Kubang concept said to be retired before the debut of the production version at the 2014 Detroit show and the Levante still just a wee mule, guesses for the three remaining three would be variations on current models. Not that there's anything wrong with that when it's Maserati we're talking about...

Maserati MC20 Icona and Leggenda special editions channel the MC12

Maserati is celebrating 20 years since the introduction of its legendary MC12 launched and took to the circuit with a couple of special edition MC20 supercars. Named the MC20 Icona and MC20 Leggenda, each takes after a specific look originally applied to MC12s. The MC20 Icona uses the MC12 Stradale’s best-known look with the white and blue two-tone on the exterior. Maserati says it consists of Bianco Audace Matte and Blu Stradale on this MC20. YouÂ’ll also notice the Maserati Fuoriserie logo in Bianco Audace on the side of the car and the Italian flag just behind the front wheels, reminiscent of where it sits on the MC12. Maserati matched the wheel finish of the MC12 with a silver look on the MC20, and the blue-painted calipers really pop behind said wheels. As for the interior, Maserati equips both cars with the optional lightweight four-way racing seats. The Icona specifically enjoys a black and blue two-tone interior colorway with “Icona” embroidered onto the headrests. As for the Leggenda (directly above), this MC20 takes after the Vitaphone Racing teamÂ’s livery for its MC12 GT1 race car. ItÂ’s finished in Nero Essenza and Digital Mint Matte. Interestingly, Maserati throws a splash of yellow at the Leggenda with yellow trident logos on the doors, grille and C-pillars. The trident wheels are then done in Nero Lucido with Digital Mint accents, and the calipers are painted in black to complete the package. Inside, you get a black and silver two-tone interior with “Leggenda” embroidered on the headrests. Maserati is only making 20 of each special edition model, called out by “UNA DI 20” on a badge in the engine bay. All of them are specÂ’d with a number of options such as the carbon fiber interior package, electronic limited-slip differential, nose lift, carbon fiber engine cover, Sonus Faber sound system, blind-spot monitoring and premium carpets. Related video:

Maserati to halt production for one week in November

When it comes to selling cars, exciting new product is king. This is a fact Maserati is learning the hard way as it struggles to hit aggressive internal sales targets set by its Fiat Chrysler Automobiles ownership. And now a report from Reuters indicates that Maserati will be forced to shutter its Grugliasco plant near Turin, Italy, for one full week in November. Rewind back to 2013 and things were looking really good at Maserati. The brand had rolled out a new version of its four-door flagship, the Quattroporte, a smaller and somewhat more accessible sedan one rung below in the form of the Ghibli, and a new line of twin-turbo engines in both six- and eight-cylinder guises. A sales spike seemed imminent. That's exactly what appeared in 2014, as Maserati topped our end-of-the-year sales chart with a monster 171-percent gain in the United States when compared to the year prior. Like we said, product is king. The first signs of trouble brewing at Maserati rose into our consciousness in January of 2015, as, here in the States, the Italian brand took a monster nosedive in sales. That month's 20-percent decline would prove no anomaly, as February's 43-percent decline would attest. For the next few months of 2015, sales remained basically flat as allegations of shady sales accounting practices hit the news. In September, the last month sales data is available, the brand saw a drop of nearly 34 percent. How does Maserati expect to fix its lagging sales? Exciting new product, naturally, this time in the form of the long-awaited, highly anticipated Levante crossover. While Maserati's history is full of grand-touring coupes and four-door sedans, CUVs are all the rage right now. In other words, as long as the Levante isn't terrible, it really ought to bring the brand's sales back to 2014 levels. Following the Levante, Maserati has promised a new coupe based on the design of the Alfieri Concept it showed off at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, and that will surely bring another hefty dose foot traffic into showrooms as the next product wave. FCA is banking on turning Maserati from a niche player into a meaningful contributor to its sales chart. If that plan has any hope of turning into a reality, it's clearly going to take a lot more shiny new product to make it happen. Here's hoping the Levante is the next positive step in that direction. Related Video: