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Maserati Ghibli dies by 2024, replaced by smaller Quattroporte EV

In March, when Maserati divulged some of its electrification plans, the automaker's head of product planning said: "We strongly believe that there is a future for the sedan, but probably not for two sedans. One will be enough to meet demand." The company made it clear which of its two sedans would get the nod by letting the world know that the next-gen Quattroporte sedan and Levante crossover would get electric powertrains only. We have a timeline for the demise of the smaller four-door, Maserati's Australian general manager Grant Barling telling Australian news outlet Drive that "The Ghibli will move into run-out phase into 2024." Assuming international markets are on the same timeline, that gives Ghibli intenders two years to stump up the cash for the mid-size Italian thoroughbred. What's good for the Ghibli, but bad for enthusiasts, is that the BMW 5 Series competitor won't cross the Styx alone — it's taking the Ferrari-sourced F154 twin-turbo 3.8-liter V8 with it. In Ghibli Trofeo trim, that engine produces 580 horsepower, 538 pound-feet of torque, and an engine note that will let every creature in the underworld know, "I'm coming."  And yet the Ghibli isn't going away completely. Barling said, "The plan is for the Ghibli and Quattroporte to become one. So the Quattroporte will become a short-wheelbase [model] – Ghibli-sized, but called a Quattroporte." Seems Maserati likes the Ghibli sales volumes but Quattroporte brand recognition. The Ghibli made up 33% of Maserati's global sales last year while the Quattroporte only accounted for 7%. The former nameplate returned in 2013 as a four-door sedan after being a 2+2 grand tourer hardtop and convertible as well as a four-seat coupe, while the Quattroporte has been on sale as a luxury sedan continuously through six generations since 1963.  If there's an ICE engine to keep the Maserati sound alive, it will be the twin-turbo 3.0-liter Nettuno V6 launched with the MC20. The Folgore electric trims will be responsible for the other side of Maserati sound, starting with the GranTurismo Folgore debuting next year with three motors and around 1,200 horespower.   Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Maserati Grecale walkaround

The Ferrari Enzo's designer isn't worried about the future of supercars

Ken Okuyama is a talented designer with a prestigious portfolio. He spent 12 years at the famed Italian design house Pininfarina after a stint with GM's Advanced Design Studio, where he worked on the C5 Corvette. He also styled the Boxster and 996-generation 911 at Porsche. His first Ferrari design was the Rossa concept car, though his most famous creation is the Enzo. Now Okuyama runs a design studio that not only is responsible for the new Kode57 supercar that debuted in Monterey this past weekend, but also eye glasses, civic planning, and even Japanese bullet trains. We caught up with Okuyama at the Concorso Italiano car show, plopped down on a couple of plush leather chairs right in front of his brand new Kode57, and chatted about what the future holds for car design. Alex Kierstein: Lately there's been a lot of talk about autonomy and future mobility. What sort of challenges and opportunities do you think this autonomous future is going to provide for you as a car designer? Ken Okuyama: It is a really fantastic time for designers because of two reasons. One is that the public and private transport have been two separate, completely different industries up until now. Now, when you think about the future of autonomy, that really brings the automobiles into something more of a public transportation. You really have to think about the total experience of the customers from buying the ticket to the paying mechanism. That's just hardware, actually. It is a huge challenge for engineers and designers, and I really love that. That's one reason. Another reason is that just like horses were a means of transport 100 or so years ago, up until Henry Ford mass-produced the Model T. Now, maybe sports cars are becoming like horses. Now, horses are a great object for hobby, sports, and part of the Olympics and everything. Cars are going to be like that also. Dr. Porsche [was asked what type of] automobile is going to last for the longest time. He said, "the sports car." I really believe in that, because with sports cars, you never lose a sense of ownership. Autonomous vehicles are things you don't have to own. You have to design a total experience and the whole operation. A car, you want to own it. It's part of you. Your mechanical watches, do you borrow them from somebody? You want to own it. Your suits, your favorite shirts, you want to borrow them from somebody for your experience? No, you want to own it. Ownership is a core part of human beings.

2023 Maserati Grecale revealed with 523-hp twin-turbo V6

After months of releasing preview images and several delays, Maserati has introduced the Grecale, its long-awaited entry-level SUV. The sub-Levante model is aimed directly at the Porsche Macan, and it will likely become the firm's best-selling nameplate in the coming years. The latest addition to the Maserati range stretches 191 inches long and 66 inches tall, dimensions that make it about six inches shorter and nearly the same height as the Levante. Visually, it illustrates what Maserati design boss Klaus Busse meant when he told us that future Maserati models would borrow styling cues from the MC20: its front end is defined by a wide grille positioned below a pair of elongated headlights. Viewed from the side, the Grecale leans more toward sportiness than utility, while the back end wears horizontal lights connected by a strip of bright trim. Vents chiseled into the fenders and trident-shaped logos on the C-pillars link the SUV to the rest of the Maserati range. It's a design that works, in our opinion: The Grecale is recognizable as a Maserati but not a copy of an existing model. Busse told us that the idea wasn't merely to Xerox the MC20's front end onto the body of an SUV. "The design philosophy that I laid out in the beginning was actually done before we designed [the MC20 and the Grecale]. We really had to sit down and get our ahead around what we want to do with the next chapter of the brand. The reality is that 70% of the design process is understanding the message that you want to create, and the car then designs itself and the remaining 30% is just putting it on paper. We didn't want to design the car purely for Instagram; end up with a car loaded with real or fake features, lines, and creases. We're very much about purity. Maserati is a very strong performing car, so it doesn't need to shout, "Hey, look at me!" Quite the opposite; it wants to be a rolling structure, a car that adds almost visual value to its environment. That's the overreaching philosophy," Busse told Autoblog. Inside, Maserati integrated a relatively long list of tech features without making the dashboard look like the automotive equivalent of an iPhone. The driver faces up to four screens: a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 12.3-inch touchscreen for the Maserati Intelligent Assistant (MIA) digital instrument cluster, an 8.8-inch touchscreen positioned right below, and a digital clock — yes, that seemingly counts as a screen.