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2024 Maserati GranTurismo reveals its evolutionary, still-sybaritic interior

After our own Ronan Glon visited Maserati HQ in Modena, Italy to view the 2024 GranTurismo, he wrote, "I can't tell you much about the interior; I saw it, but I'm sworn to automotive omerta until early 2023. What I can say is that Maserati went to significant lengths to make the GranTurismo a true four-seater, and a pair of average-sized adults should be relatively comfortable in the rear seats." The Italians have finally released images of the new GranTurismo interior, and while we're still waiting to have a proper seat in the coupe, we can't detect that any lies have been told.  For those who found the new car's exterior much more evolutionary than one would have expected from not just a rebooted car, but a rebooted brand, the interior also retains familiar cues. The steering wheel is the biggest departure from the past, the new helm looking more like something out of a Mercedes-AMG product. There's a new screen beneath the infotainment display in the center console that appears to be devoted to HVAC controls. And there's no shift lever anymore; paddle shifters do the work of changing cogs in the eight-speed automatic transmission fitted to the ICE-powered trims. Otherwise, the Maserati clock assumes its usual place atop the dash between vent registers, the instrument panel lines create a strong sense of dual cockpits, and the leather looks as sumptuous as ever. The automaker only provided galleries for two of the three trims to be released, the Modena and Trofeo. Both get the 3.0-liter Nettuno V6, which makes 490 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque in the Modena, 550 hp and 479 lb-ft in the Trofeo. The two variants are distinguished inside by details like different leather patterning on the instrument panel and seats, more vibrant cross-stitching in the Trofeo, and a black Start button in the Modena versus the blue Start button in the Trofeo. Outside, the Trofeo wears carbon fiber embellishments like the front intake surrounds, rocker panel extensions, and decklid spoiler. We don't have interior images of the battery-electric GranTurismo Folgore yet. It likely has other interior surprises for us. Maserati will begin delivering the new GranTurismo in the second quarter of 2023. Pricing will start at around $200,000.  Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Maserati Levante could get a V8 to battle the Cayenne Turbo

Maserati's new Levante crossover is based on the platform shared by the Ghibli and Quattroporte sedans. The Quattroporte's top engine is a 523-horsepower, twin-turbo 3.8-liter V8. When asked if that engine would fit in the Levante, a Maserati engineer gave the answer we were hoping to hear almost immediately. "Yes, it fits, and we have a prototype already," said Davide Danesin, the head of Maserati vehicle programs. The Levante will launch with two models, both of which use the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 that Ferrari builds for Maserati, but in two different tunes. The first generation of the V6 launched in the Ghibli and Quattroporte. While the V8 is only currently used in the rear-drive Quattroporte GTS, Danesin assures us that packaging the V8 and an all-wheel-drive system works. There is that prototype, after all. The fact that Danesin volunteered that a V8 prototype exists leads us to believe it's being very seriously considered, since manufacturers reluctantly acknowledge that there will even be a future, let alone one that will bring new, as-yet-unannounced products. Maserati officials caution that it may be tough to make a case for such a vehicle, however, as the over-500-hp SUV segment is pretty small, at about 12,000 units per year by their estimates. It's also relatively crowded, with the logical bogeys being the Porsche Cayenne Turbo (520 hp) and Turbo S (570 hp) and the Range Rover Sport SVR (550 hp). None of them will touch the Levante's upcoming American cousin, the Hellcat-powered Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, but that's cool. View 21 Photos We'd guess that the yay/nay on a V8 Levante will hinge on the overall popularity of the new model as well as the mix of 345-hp Levante versus 424-hp Levante S models once customers start ordering. Which is to say, if you think you'll want a V8 Levante eventually, get out there and buy a few Levante S models when they hit dealers this October. In other Maserati powertrain news, we're told the second-generation V6, which makes 20 more horsepower in its angriest tune and debuts in the Levante, will show up in the Ghibli and Quattroporte "soon." We'd peg that at mid-cycle refresh time, which should be in a year or so. The second-gen V6 gets its extra power from re-profiled camshafts, some redesign work on the heads, and other tweaks, likely in software. Oh, and for more on the first Maserati crossover and that updated engine, watch for our first drive of the twin-turbo V6 Levante very soon.

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: