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Maserati's next sports car shown in heavy camo

Maserati has started the process of re-tooling its historic Modena, Italy, factory to build a new sports car scheduled to come out in 2020. Full details about the model remain under wraps — even its name is a mystery — but the very first batch of images provided by Maserati and brought to you exclusively by Autoblog reveal several key points about it, including a few that we didn't see coming. The photos douse cold water on the rumors claiming Maserati's next sports car would be essentially a toned-down version of the Alfieri concept introduced in 2014. The test mule depicted in the images is heavily camouflaged, but its proportions, the size of its cabin, and the huge vents behind the doors suggest it's a mid-engined two-seater, not a front-engined model with a 2+2 interior layout. Autoblog learned the test mule is powered by a completely new drivetrain, but your guess is as good as ours when it comes to what it's made up of. Regardless, it was designed and built entirely in-house, and it will spawn a family of drivetrains that will exclusively power the company's vehicles. Starting from scratch is a huge undertaking. Engineers will closely analyze the data gathered during the testing phase, and use it to fine-tune the drivetrain on its research and development department's simulators. The improved components will in turn be road-tested. Maserati's new approach to vehicle design relies heavily on simulators, but head of product Joe Grace told us real-world testing remains hugely important. The company puts about 3 million miles annually on its prototypes. While the photos beg more questions than they answer, they confirm Maserati's renaissance is around the corner. The company will introduce its next new model during the Geneva Motor Show in March 2020, so we expect to learn much more about it in the coming months. It will be followed by the next-generation GranTurismo and GranCabrio, which will be available with the company's first electric powertrain, and by a new SUV positioned below the Levante. Featured Gallery 2020 Maserati sports car test mule spy shots Auto News Spy Photos Geneva Motor Show Maserati Coupe

2024 Maserati GranTurismo reveals its evolutionary, still-sybaritic interior

After our own Ronan Glon visited Maserati HQ in Modena, Italy to view the 2024 GranTurismo, he wrote, "I can't tell you much about the interior; I saw it, but I'm sworn to automotive omerta until early 2023. What I can say is that Maserati went to significant lengths to make the GranTurismo a true four-seater, and a pair of average-sized adults should be relatively comfortable in the rear seats." The Italians have finally released images of the new GranTurismo interior, and while we're still waiting to have a proper seat in the coupe, we can't detect that any lies have been told.  For those who found the new car's exterior much more evolutionary than one would have expected from not just a rebooted car, but a rebooted brand, the interior also retains familiar cues. The steering wheel is the biggest departure from the past, the new helm looking more like something out of a Mercedes-AMG product. There's a new screen beneath the infotainment display in the center console that appears to be devoted to HVAC controls. And there's no shift lever anymore; paddle shifters do the work of changing cogs in the eight-speed automatic transmission fitted to the ICE-powered trims. Otherwise, the Maserati clock assumes its usual place atop the dash between vent registers, the instrument panel lines create a strong sense of dual cockpits, and the leather looks as sumptuous as ever. The automaker only provided galleries for two of the three trims to be released, the Modena and Trofeo. Both get the 3.0-liter Nettuno V6, which makes 490 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque in the Modena, 550 hp and 479 lb-ft in the Trofeo. The two variants are distinguished inside by details like different leather patterning on the instrument panel and seats, more vibrant cross-stitching in the Trofeo, and a black Start button in the Modena versus the blue Start button in the Trofeo. Outside, the Trofeo wears carbon fiber embellishments like the front intake surrounds, rocker panel extensions, and decklid spoiler. We don't have interior images of the battery-electric GranTurismo Folgore yet. It likely has other interior surprises for us. Maserati will begin delivering the new GranTurismo in the second quarter of 2023. Pricing will start at around $200,000.  Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Maserati Grecale and Alfa Romeo Tonale delayed

MILAN — Maserati on Monday delayed the launch of its new Grecale SUV until the spring of 2022 from November this year due to a global chip shortage. The announcement by the luxury brand, part of Stellantis, comes as a shortage of semiconductors forces automakers around the world to slow or suspend production. Maserati said its decision stemmed from ongoing disruptions in the supply of parts. "In particular, due to a scarcity of semiconductors, production volumes would not adequately meet expected global demand," Maserati said in a statement. A global premiere for the Grecale, which will be produced in Cassino in central Italy, was initially scheduled for Nov. 16. Stellantis this month also confirmed it would present the Tonale, the new Alfa Romeo SUV, next March after it had been expected at the end of this year. Stellantis, formed this year though the merger of Fiat Chrysler and France's PSA, has halted production at several plants, including in Europe and Canada, due to the chip shortage. It has forecast it will produce 1.4 million fewer vehicles this year. The FIM-CISL union has said the impact of a semiconductor shortage on Stellantis' Italian production this year will be worse and longer-lasting than the damage to output caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Related video: