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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:

V8-powered Maserati Levante spied nearly naked

I love fast SUVs. A big engine can do wonders to make a boring crossover exciting, even if they still handle like an overstuffed goldfish on wheels. That's why I'm really excited to see spy shots that show a V8-powered Maserati Levante in the flesh. Even before the Levante hit showrooms, Maserati admitted to us that a V8-powered prototype was already in existence. It seems that a full reveal is imminent. Visually, the prototype we see here only does with revised front and rear fascias. It's slightly more aggressive, but not that far removed from what's currently available. Still, we're more interested in what's under the hood. Maserati said the Quattroporte's Ferrari-assembled 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 fits in the Levante with no issues. That should be no surprise, as the two models share a basic platform. In the Quattroporte, the engine makes 523 horsepower and 479 pound feet of torque. Don't be surprised if things are cranked up in the Levante to compete with the 567 horsepower BMW X5 M and the all-new 550 horsepower Porsche Cayenne Turbo. Look for bigger brakes, stiffer suspension and more aggressive rubber. Typical performance modifications. While we don't know for sure, the V8 Levante is likely to wear the GTS badge, just like the top-dog Quattroporte. Unfortunately, the model ditches hydraulic steering for an electrically assisted unit. Still, it's sure to be a riot, at least in a straight line. Related Video: Featured Gallery Maserati Levante GTS spy shots View 12 Photos Image Credit: CarPix Spy Photos Maserati Crossover SUV Luxury Performance maserati levante gts

Maserati video sheds a little light on mid-engined MC20 coupe

Maserati is preparing to unveil the MC20, its first new model since the Levante made its debut in 2016. It released a short video to whet our appetite before the mid-engined coupe makes its global debut on September 9. Posted on its official Twitter account, the five-second video does an excellent job of keeping the MC20's design under wraps, but it helps us decode what's lurking under the camouflage. It suggests Maserati stylists don't have a straight-edge in their arsenal of tools, because nearly every surface looks deliciously curved. We also get a quick glimpse at the vents chiseled into the hood, and at the air intakes positioned over the rear wheel wells. Out back, the coupe will feature louvers over the rear window, according to a different video posted on the company's Facebook page. We'd say it's safe to bet the cabin will receive the digital rear-view mirror that's slowly making its way across the Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) portfolio. Louvers have never stopped carmakers from hanging a conventional rear-view mirror above the front passengers, but the MC20's represent a golden opportunity for Maserati to flex its technology muscles. Whether they'll be standard or optional is up in the air. Although Maserati is trickle-feeding us clues, earlier spy shots taken near its headquarters in Modena give us a much better look at the MC20. Its proportions reveal its mid-engined layout, and even the camouflage can't hide the low-mounted oval grille with the firm's trident emblem. It's a styling cue that subtly links the MC20 to the firm's past models, like the race-winning Tipo 61 (also known as the Birdcage) built from 1959 to 1961. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Power for the MC20 will come from a 3.0-liter V6 engine developed in-house and twin-turbocharged to 630 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque. Called Nettuno internally, the 90-degree six-cylinder will have an 8,000-rpm redline, and it will spawn a track-only engine that will power Maserati's future race cars. Unconfirmed rumors claim the MC20 range will later grow to include a hybrid variant with at least 700 horsepower on tap, and a convertible. Maserati is investing significant resources into the development of electric powertrains, the next-generation GranTurismo will run exclusively on batteries, so we wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Maserati delivers an MC20 without exhaust pipes sooner or later.