2011 Maserati Quattroporte S Sedan 4-door 4.7l on 2040-cars

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2014 Maserati Quattroporte revealed in patent drawings

Curious about what the 2014 Maserati Quattroporte will look like? Recent spy shots of the big Maserati sedan haven't been much help, but now we have this: Three alleged patent drawings found by AutoWeek.nl. Better fire up your imagination, however, as like all European Patent Office images, these sketches have the unique ability to suck the beauty out of even Italian cars. Truth be told, if AutoWeek.nl had told us this was a new Buick, we might have believed them.
That said, we can certainly see the resemblance in the rear to the Maserati GranTurismo, with a similar C-pillar and that little flipped-up spoiler. In the front, too, we imagine the new Quattroporte will resemble its sportier sibling, with the crude lines from these drawings turned into more voluptuous curves through the magic of modern manufacturing.
Rumors say the next-gen sedan will be available with a choice of two engines assembled by Ferrari, either a turbocharged V8 or a supercharged V6. We're likely to see the new Quattroporte in the flesh for the first time at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show.

Maserati's Levante crossover gets cold weather test

With winter in full effect in the northern hemisphere, automotive engineers from across the globe have flocked to the fjords and towns of northern Sweden for winter testing. That includes teams from Maserati, who are pitting a mule for the Levante SUV against the snow, ice and bitterly cold temperatures. The last time we saw a Levante mule was in August. That vehicle, though, was riding dirty without any license plates, meaning it's impossible to know if the vehicle shown above is one and the same. Both sport an eye-catching shade of blue beneath their shape-distorting camo, and the wheels and heightened roof are the same too. Beyond that, there's not a lot to see that's new here. Maserati's decision to move testing north to Sweden while still using a mule is an interesting one. As our spies point out, considering how long this particular vehicle has been testing, we'd imagine it's only a matter of time before we see a Levante testing with a more production-based body, rather than the Ghibli shell that's been fitted here. Take a look at the spy photos of the new Levante, available up top.

Reid Bigland appointed CEO of Alfa Romeo, Maserati

There's been a big shakeup in Fiat Chrysler's leadership team, as head of US sales and FCA Canada CEO Reid Bigland will replace Harald Wester as the chief exec for Alfa Romeo and Maserati. Wester will retain his position as chief technical officer of FCA. Both men will hang onto their positions on FCA's Group Executive Council. The move is an interesting one considering the widely publicized issues at both Alfa and Maserati. Alfa Romeo's problems are almost too many to list. The brand has promised a full-scale return to the US market for more than a decade, but faced repeated delays. Its latest volume model, the Giulia, is being savaged by reviewers over quality issues, and the company has frequently pushed its upcoming CUV back. If that were the only problem, it'd be annoying, but according to Automotive News, Alfa's relaunch is also considerably over budget. Maserati is an entirely different can of worms. Alongside Alfa, it's been stung by a slow Chinese market. Profits are down, according to Automotive News, and it's been widely rumored that the company will delay its next sports car, the Alfieri, until 2018 – it was previously promised for this year. Meanwhile, two of its three other models, the Quattroporte and GranTurismo, are dangerously long in the tooth, and the Levante is still months away from US sales. Can Bigland sort these issues out? Maybe. As Sergio Marchionne said in his official statement, "[Bigland] has an extraordinary record of growing sales and market share in the US and Canada over the last 7 years at FCA, including leading the growth and positioning of the Ram and Dodge brands for part of that time."