2007 Maserati Quattroporte 4dr Sdn Auto on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Maserati betting big on Levante SUV

In 2014, Maserati was booming thanks to a sales spike, and executives contemplated capping production. The company's fortunes, however, have changed quickly this year. Its sales dropped 13 percent globally to 8,281 cars in the second quarter, and earnings were down 30 percent, according to Automotive News. This performance has led the company to pin its future hopes on the launch of the Levante crossover. The Levante arrives in the first half of 2016. An official debut is scheduled for sometime this year, according to the company's five-year plan, though the unveiling might be pushed back until the 2016 Detroit auto show in January, Automotive News reports. The Levante shares a platform with the Ghibli and reportedly will use its V6 engines. The crossover also is expected to have all-wheel drive. Patent drawings suggest a look reminiscent of the earlier Kubang concept (pictured above). FCA explains some of Maserati's current weakness is due to problems in China. Deliveries were down 37 percent there in the second quarter, according to Automotive News, and the country's weak economy isn't expected to let up soon. Related Video:

2015 Maserati Quattroporte gets the lightest possible updates

A week after its debut on the interwebs, Maserati has trotted out its freshened Quattroporte range at the LA Auto Show, giving us our first in-person look at the changes to the top-of-the-line GTS trim.
Maserati has tweaked the headlights across the range, while the GTS gains new body-color trim pieces on the lower bodywork. Red badging on the wheelcaps and and a freshened trident badge are some of the more obvious changes, while new lower bodywork is matched to the main exterior color. While these tweaks are nice, we aren't totally sure they deliver on the "sportier and aggressive appearance" that the Italian company is aiming for in model year 2015.
What do you think? Could Maserati have stood to go further for the 2015 Quattroporte, or is this sort of super-light freshening just what the doctor ordered? Let us know what you think in Comments.

Maserati looking to book 13,000 sales of new Quattroporte in 2013

Europe's continuing financial woe is forcing automakers to get creative, and while Fiat may be scaling back its volume vehicles, it's looking to ramp up production of the exclusive Maserati brand. Following the debut of a new Quattroporte sedan, Fiat wants to boost Maserati sales to 50,000 vehicles by 2015. Maserati may lose as much as €7 million ($9.05 million) this year, and Fiat is betting big on Chrysler platforms and dealers to turn that around.
Currently regarded as a low-volume boutique carmaker, Maserati sold just 6,159 units last year, and 4,700 units through three quarters of this year. For 2013, Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne is targeting 13,000 in sales of the redesigned Quattroporte alone. Fiat apparently wants the brand's low volume image to change, hoping to position it closer to BMW and Porsche in the market.
The recent unveiling of the new Quattroporte will be followed by more new vehicle launches, including a crossover utility called Levante, and a long-promised sub-Quattroporte sedan, called Ghibli. The latter will share certain components with the Chrysler 300 sedan in an effort to optimize production costs. The Ghibli will be positioned to take on the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. It's all in an effort to turn the profit tide for Maserati and its parent company Fiat amidst European economic turmoil.