2006 Maserati Quattroporte Automatic 4-door Sedan on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Maserati Levante Hybrid gets four-cylinder and 48-volt technology

Maserati is keeping its promise of adding more electrified options to its lineup. Shortly after electrifying the Ghibli, it stuffed the turbo-electric powertrain in the Levante to create its second series-produced hybrid model. Presented at the 2021 Shanghai auto show, the Levante Hybrid is powered by a turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that works with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. The system's total output checks in at 330 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque, figures on par with the Ghibli Hybrid's, and it spins the four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission and a limited-slip rear differential. Maserati quotes a six-second sprint from zero to 60 mph, a number that puts the Hybrid about on par with the base model, and a top speed of over 150 mph. While the Levante's hybrid technology does not unlock electric-only driving range, it's much lighter than a comparable plug-in hybrid system, which would require a bigger and heavier battery pack. In turn, this solution gives the Hybrid better weight distribution than the V6-powered model. It's more agile to drive, according to Maserati. It takes a well-trained eye to tell the Levante Hybrid apart from the non-electrified model. Car-spotters should look for light blue accents on the fender-mounted air vents, on the brake calipers, and on the C-pillar emblems. Inside, the same shade of blue is found in the stitching that's on the seats, on the door panels, and on the dashboard. Maserati told Autoblog that, like the Ghibli Hybrid, the Levante Hybrid will not be sold in the United States. Sales in several overseas markets will start before the end of 2021, though pricing and availability haven't been announced yet. While we're not getting Maserati's first electrified SUV, it gives us a valuable look at how the Italian company plans to spread electrification across its range without completely neutering the DNA that characterizes it. That's significant insight, because one of the next electrified Maserati models will be a version of the MC12 supercar. 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

Step inside the secret lab creating Maserati's future

MODENA, Italy – Driving Maserati's raucous GranTurismo MC and the effortlessly quick Levante SQ4 back to back feels like traveling through time. Horsepower doesn't go out of style, but a user interface quickly does, and the GranTurismo looks like it's from another era in that respect. Designers, engineers, and executives are busily orchestrating a transformation that will ensure the 105-year old firm's next leap forward is even more dramatic. Autoblog went behind the scenes in Maserati's Innovation Lab – which has never been opened to outsiders before – to find out how the looming metamorphosis will shape Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles' (FCA) flagship brand. Maserati is on the brink of a ground-up redesign that will take it into new segments of the market, and diversify its powertrain palette. We heard the term electrification used on many occasions during our visit, though company officials resorted to automotive omerta when we asked for additional details. An earlier product plan reveals every upcoming addition to its line-up will be available with an electric powertrain, and there will be quite a few cars to electrify. Historically a small, almost niche automaker, Maserati is on track to release five new models between 2020 and 2023, including a second SUV positioned below the aforementioned Levante, plus replacements for most of its current cars. Technology is playing a significant role in Maserati's renaissance. The company's four-year-old Innovation Lab is home to simulators capable of reproducing six months' worth of wear and tear in two weeks. Engineers can dial in a variety of situations, locations, and road conditions, ranging from a winding country road in France to a busy highway in southern California. They can digitally insert potholes, add rain or fog at the push of a button and remove either just as quickly, and put virtual prototypes on a long list of race tracks around the world, including the Nurburgring. Digital wind tunnels help the team test future cars well before they're built. This approach saves time and money, explained Luca Dusini, the man responsible for Maserati's vehicle dynamics testing and simulation. Making every dollar and each minute count is key to pulling off such an ambitious overhaul. 90% of development work is carried out on the various simulators, according to Dusini. This is significant, because Maserati is developing most of the technology it will pack into its future models from scratch.

Baby Jeep to join Renegade in FCA's plan for new Italian-built models

FCA is boosting its European production, introducing new models that will be built in currently under-utilized manufacturing facilities. Among the new models is a new small Jeep, smaller than the current Renegade, as Automotive News reports. FCA's Mike Manley mentioned the entry-level Jeep model earlier this year, also saying that the vehicle is targeted to European and possibly Latin American customers; in the summer, Autocar placed the launch date in 2022. The new "baby" Jeep would be made in the same factory in Pomigliano, Italy, as the small Fiat Panda, which is a top seller in Italy. The current generation Panda was introduced in 2011; if it gets a replacement in 2022, it could possibly share a platform with the Jeep model — or, the Jeep could be an eventual outright replacement for the Panda. One of Fiat's earlier core products, the Punto hatchback, was canned in August, and that production capacity will be used to make the Jeep Compass instead, at the Renegade-producing Melfi factory in southern Italy. The Compass has not previously been built in Europe. The Fiat model portfolio would be shrunk to just the 500 model family and the Panda — the 500 would also be FCA's key electric vehicle offered in Europe. It is not yet clear whether the electric 500 would be made in Turin, Italy, or in Poland; Turin might also get a Giardiniera-badged wagon version of the refreshed 500. As for the Alfa Romeo brand, it is set to gain an even bigger SUV model than the Stelvio, based on the Maserati Levante's platform. The Levante's sales have suffered recently in China, but Maserati does have light in the horizon: The Alfieri 2+2 grand tourer is still in the cards, with a launch expected for 2020 and both a convertible and an electrified version planned to follow. The Alfieri would be made in Modena, Italy, according to Automotive News' sources. None of these plans namedrop the storied Lancia brand, which has been shrunk to just the Ypsilon hatchback, based on the same platform as the current 500 and Panda. Despite that, the Ypsilon was again the second-bestselling car in Italy after the Panda in October. It is unlikely that FCA will be able to ignore this, but it is just as unlikely that any development money will be afforded to come up with a replacement for the Ypsilon, which is as similarly old as the Panda. Perhaps official announcements expected on Thursday will also clarify what will happen to Lancia.