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High school design students sketch out FCA's 'ultimate status vehicle'

Each year since 2013, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) hosts a design contest for high school students called Drive for Design intended to educate and encourage automotive career hopefuls. For 2019, FCA prompted 10th, 11th, and 12th graders to imagine the "ultimate status vehicle." The top three choices include two Alfa Romeos and a Maserati. FCA named first, second, and third places in the contest. Maximillian Cooper (lead image) from Design and Architecture Senior High in Miami won first place. Mason Ross (first inline image) from Kennedy Catholic High School in Burien, Wash., took second. Vincent Piaskowski (Maserati image) from Ernest W. Seaholm High School in Birmingham, Mich., placed third. The three winners of the contest will be awarded with numerous valuable prizes. They will get behind-the-scenes tours at the FCA U.S. Product Design studios, as well as mentoring time with some of FCA's designers. They will also get scholarships to attend the Precollege Summer Experience Transportation Design program at the College for Creative Studies. Lastly, they'll have the honor of serving as junior judges at the EyesOn Design Car Show. Although each sketch has a unique look, all three take the same approach: cab-forward, bubble-top supercar coupes with dramatic lines and curves. Piaskowski's shows direct inspiration from a shark, but we wouldn't be surprised if all three students have special places in their hearts for the Pininfarina Maserati Birdcage Concept.

Cars with the worst resale value after 5 years

While the old saying that cars lose a massive chunk of their value as soon as they’re driven off the dealerÂ’s lot might not be entirely true these days, most new vehicles steadily lose value as they age and are used. iSeeCars recently released its latest study on depreciation, finding the models that lose value the fastest, and the list is packed with high-end nameplates. The vehicles that lost value the fastest over five years include: Maserati Quattroporte: 64.5% depreciation BMW 7 Series: 61.8% Maserati Ghibli: 61.3% BMW 5 Series Hybrid: 58.8% Cadillac Escalade ESV: 58.5% BMW X5: 58.2% Infiniti QX80: 58.1% Maserati Levante: 57.8% Jaguar XF: 57.6% Audi A7: 57.2% While sports cars, hybrids, and trucks dominated the list of slowest-depreciating vehicles, luxury brands accounted for all of the top ten fastest-depreciating models. iSeeCars executive analyst Karl Brauer also pointed out EVsÂ’ lack of representation on the slow-depreciating vehicles list, saying that thereÂ’s a disconnect between what automakers are building and what people actually want. The average five-year depreciation for all vehicles in the iSeeCars study was 38.8 percent. ThatÂ’s an almost 11% improvement over 2019Â’s figures, but some vehicle types perform worse than others. EVs depreciated 49.1 percent over five years, while SUVs dropped 41.2%. Trucks only fell 34.8% and hybrids 37.4%. Brauer noted that all vehicles depreciate slower than they did five years ago. Even so, EVs are not the best choice if youÂ’re looking for a vehicle that wonÂ’t feel like a ripoff when itÂ’s time to trade in. On the flip side, used EVs can present a stellar value, saving thousands over their new counterparts. Charging times and availability remain concerns for buyers in large parts of the country, but a heavily depreciated EV could be the used car value youÂ’ve been looking for. The same wisdom applies to used luxury vehicles, as the list above indicates. While new-car buyers shopping for luxury cars are set to see big depreciation during their ownership, that means the used car market is flooded with inexpensive used luxury cars. High repair costs and costly maintenance schedules are real issues that used luxury models face, however. Green Audi BMW Cadillac Infiniti Jaguar Maserati Car Buying Used Car Buying

Electric Maserati Grecale Folgore will have over 500 horsepower

Maserati is beginning to release details about its Folgore-badged range of EVs. We know that the battery-powered version of the next Gran Turismo will have over 1,200 horsepower, and Autoblog learned preliminary details (including output and range) about the Grecale Folgore. Due out in 2023, the electric Grecale will share its Giorgio platform with the gasoline-powered model. Pictured in the gallery above, the architecture will incorporate a 105-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack and a pair of electric motors for through-the-road all-wheel-drive. Federico De Medio, Maserati's head of vehicle validation, told us to expect over 500 horsepower and more than 300 miles of driving range. "We were able to install the battery pack in the lower part of the car while keeping the Giorgio platform, which is a very versatile architecture that can be multi-energy," he said. "I've heard people say, 'It can't underpin an EV!' Well, you can clearly see that it can." Maserati will rely on lightweight materials, like aluminum and carbon fiber, to partially offset the weight of the battery pack. It will give the Grecale a 400-volt electrical system, a solution chosen for its flexibility, and the motors that will power the SUV will not be the same units fitted to the Gran Turismo. Clearly, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to electrifying a portfolio of models as diverse as Maserati's. But, while electric cars make headlines, gasoline-powered cars make volume, and Maserati isn't giving up on that part of its range quite yet. It tentatively plans to offer only electric cars by 2030, but until then (and maybe even beyond then) it will let customers choose what they drive. "We are one of the few brands still making investments in two technologies: internal combustion and electric," said Bill Peffer, head of Maserati's American division. "People have asked us why. The reason is simple: We're adding products to the lineup, and the [EV] adoption curve is different in different parts of the world, so we're going to let the customer choose. The customer is going to decide what the rate is going to be, and we have the flexibility of ramping up or ramping down depending on demand. There's a long runway between now and 2030."