2010 - Maserati Gran Turismo on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Maserati CEO says new Alfieri will finally make Geneva in 2020

Maserati's long-delayed Alfieri will be shown at Geneva a year from now, says company CEO Harald Wester. The Alfieri will be the model to replace the GranTurismo coupe, the production of which is expected to end later this year as Maserati's Modena plant is overhauled and retooled for the new car. Autocar reports that Wester placed the Alfieri's reveal for Geneva 2020, but that series production will not begin until 2021-2022. Earlier reports had timed the Alfieri pre-production to begin in early 2020, in time for Geneva. The Maserati lineup will be significantly updated in the near future, and will feature extensive electrification, from mild hybrids to fully electric vehicles. "Any product we touch or make will have significant electrification," Wester told Autocar. "The main launches for new products are in 2021-22, and by the end of 2022 we will have a completely new range. For each and every lineup, we will have a full battery electric version. Not only that but at least one." Future models will also include updated versions of Ghibli, Quattroporte and Levante. The Alfieri was originally shown as a concept in 2014, but the delays have forced the 2008-introduced GranTurismo to soldier on. When the Alfieri finally comes, however, it will do so as a PHEV, a mild hybrid and a full electric version. Maserati is also adamant it will build electrified sports cars profitably. "Maserati is one of the few brands who can sell cars at the cost and reality of the technology and still make money," said Wester. Related Video:

Sergio rethinks FCA-GM merger idea, dismisses critics

After many public overtures, Fiat Chrysler Automotive CEO Sergio Marchionne has claimed his company won't be making a hostile takeover bid for General Motors. This is despite widespread speculation that FCA's desire to merge was motivated by its allegedly dire situation. As one unnamed GM exec who spoke to Automotive News earlier this year put it, "Why should [GM] bail out FCA?" "We are not choking. We are in relatively decent shape," Marchionne told journalists attending an FCA shareholder meeting in Amsterdam, AN reports. "We have been publicly rebuffed, we have been rejected and you cannot force these things. I don't want to. At the moment, we have no intention to do anything hostile." Instead of focusing on merging with GM, or any other partners for that matter, FCA will refocus on implementing its ambitious five-year investment plan, which would see it dump $52 billion into its various brands, with a particular focus on Alfa Romeo, Maserati, and Jeep. So far the attempt has largely been unsuccessful, especially as it relates to the Italian brands. Earlier this week, additional reports emerged that claimed Alfa was pushing back the Giulia and an unnamed CUV while reassigning resources to updated versions of the Giulietta and MiTo hatchbacks. This is not the first time we've heard about trouble for the Giulia, of course. For Masearti, though, it was the first we'd heard of delays for Alfieri sports car, which allegedly won't appear in 2016, as promised. We can expect a proper breakdown of FCA's adjusted plans when Marchionne and Company reveal an updated product slate next month. Related Video: The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Paul Sancya / AP Alfa Romeo Chrysler Fiat GM Jeep Maserati Sergio Marchionne FCA

Latin music star Ren? P?rez destroys own Maserati to send kids a message

Can destroying a car be art? That question comes a bit too late for the Maserati Quattroporte seen above. The act depicted is from the music video for Adentro by Puerto Rican hip-hop act Calle 13 new single.
While the video is not yet online, the making-of featurette is available below and shows the luxury sedan getting beat with a baseball bat (and more) by the group's frontman René Pérez. According to Latin Gossip, Pérez wants to send his fans a message not to place too high a value in material objects. The Maserati represents a time in his life of too much excess, it seems...
The guy might have an argument, but it still seems pretty wasteful to destroy a perfectly good Italian sports sedan. We will be curious to see how far the destruction goes, but you can get a peak at it in the video below.