2010 Maserati Quattroporte S Automatic 4-door Sedan on 2040-cars

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Maserati says no to all-electric future, says U.S. chief

The future internal combustion remains questionable as automakers push for electrification. But not for Maserati, according to a report from Motor Trend on an investor call discussing first-quarter earnings. According to the outlet, FCA CEO Michael Manley and Maserati North America's head honcho, Al Gardner, made it known on the call that Maserati does not have any plans to say goodbye to good 'ol gasoline power. Rather, the company is planning to embrace electrification in different ways, such as hybridization. "This is a brand that needs combustion engines. It needs that raw emotion," Gardner told reporters at the conference. He also noted it's important for the company to get "back to its roots," citing the company's start with race cars before offering consumer vehicles. Maserati's electrification will begin as part of its model line overhaul leading up to 2022 that is also supposed to help reverse Maserati's slumping sales. Gardner noted that a new sports car will mark the start of the revamp, and we expect it will be a production version of the hotly anticipated and very sexy Alfieri Concept car. We may even see the car at Geneva next year. After that will be a new crossover smaller than the Levante, along with hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants with a few select electric vehicles. Maserati won't be the only automaker embracing electrification, as Jaguar, Volkswagen and Porsche are all pushing toward the new powertrain technology. Unlike Maserati, some of these brands are going all-in on electric cars. Volkswagen will release its last new internal combustion engine in 2026. Volvo's Polestar brand will only have pure EVs after the Polestar 1 sports car.

Maserati Ghibli reportedly dies in 2023

When Maserati debuted the Ghibli sedan at the 2013 Shanghai Motor Show, the executive tourer was meant to establish itself as a sporty alternative to the BMW 5 Series set and help Maserati increase its global sales eightfold. Neither of those happened. The product push didn't materialize, and the Ghibli failed at its task because it never managed to be the smooth, dynamically masterful Italian it could have been, its rough edges inexcusable in a sedan that once started at about $76,000 and is now nearly $80,000 after destination. Even so, we never wished the Ghibli ill, we wished Maserati would sort it out. That's not going to happen, according to Automotive News. The outlet's product page for the Ghibli says, "Production is expected to continue through 2022 on the sedan, which will not be replaced." Assuming this happens and the Ghibli takes a final ride into the sunset in 2023, it will have had ten years on the market. The model launched Maserati's electrification push, the Ghibli Hybrid and its 48-volt mild-hybrid system coming online last year but not for sale in the U.S. market. At the same time, the model finally acquired the raucous V8 one would have expected at launch or shortly after, in the guise of the Trofeo trim we do get.   Like all other automakers, though, Maserati has a huge to-do list over the next five years, and it can't coddle laggards. Last year, the automaker's product roadmap called for a pile of new and new-generation models. The MC20 flagship is out, the Grecale crossover is due early next year in ICE and battery-electric forms, followed by the new GranTurismo and GranCabrio with ICE and EV powertrains, plus the MC20 Spider and pure-electric MC20. In 2023, the new Quattroporte will return that nameplate's former glory as the only sedan in the lineup, followed by a new Levante, both with internal combustion and electric powertrains. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Maserati MC20 supercar plays in the snow

Sergio rethinks FCA-GM merger idea, dismisses critics

After many public overtures, Fiat Chrysler Automotive CEO Sergio Marchionne has claimed his company won't be making a hostile takeover bid for General Motors. This is despite widespread speculation that FCA's desire to merge was motivated by its allegedly dire situation. As one unnamed GM exec who spoke to Automotive News earlier this year put it, "Why should [GM] bail out FCA?" "We are not choking. We are in relatively decent shape," Marchionne told journalists attending an FCA shareholder meeting in Amsterdam, AN reports. "We have been publicly rebuffed, we have been rejected and you cannot force these things. I don't want to. At the moment, we have no intention to do anything hostile." Instead of focusing on merging with GM, or any other partners for that matter, FCA will refocus on implementing its ambitious five-year investment plan, which would see it dump $52 billion into its various brands, with a particular focus on Alfa Romeo, Maserati, and Jeep. So far the attempt has largely been unsuccessful, especially as it relates to the Italian brands. Earlier this week, additional reports emerged that claimed Alfa was pushing back the Giulia and an unnamed CUV while reassigning resources to updated versions of the Giulietta and MiTo hatchbacks. This is not the first time we've heard about trouble for the Giulia, of course. For Masearti, though, it was the first we'd heard of delays for Alfieri sports car, which allegedly won't appear in 2016, as promised. We can expect a proper breakdown of FCA's adjusted plans when Marchionne and Company reveal an updated product slate next month. Related Video: The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Paul Sancya / AP Alfa Romeo Chrysler Fiat GM Jeep Maserati Sergio Marchionne FCA