1985 Maserati Biturbo Two Door Coupe on 2040-cars

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Subaru ice driving and Mercedes-AMG G 63 | Autoblog Podcast #571

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Green Editor John Beltz Snyder. They kick things off by talking about the cars they've been driving: the 2019 Mercedes-AMG G63 and Autoblog's long-term Kia Stinger. Then they discuss hooning the Subaru BRZ, WRX and WRX STI on ice at the Subaru Winter Experience. Then they talk news, specifically Amazon investing $700 million in EV startup Rivian, and Maserati finally launching the Alfieri. Finally they help spend a listener's money on a new, green car. Autoblog Podcast #571 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Driving the 2019 Mercedes-AMG G63 Long-term Kia Stinger update Subaru Winter Experience Amazon invests in Rivian Maserati Alfieri on its way Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video:

Ferrari-Maserati dealer folds in Las Vegas casino

The ten-year-old Penske Ferrari Maserati dealership located inside the Wynn resort in Las Vegas, where non-Ferrari owners had to pay $10 to walk among the cars, is closed. Word is that the Ferrari franchise is moving to Towbin Motorcars, which you'll know for being the home of the former "King of Cars," and more recently where Floyd "Money" Mayweather has bought 100 cars, including three Bugatti Veyrons. According to Ferrari Chat almost the entire Penske-Wynn staff will make the move, including the highly regarded service department. This being Las Vegas there are, naturally, various theories about why the only Ferrari franchise in the state of Nevada is leaving one of the state's marquee locations. We got a tip a month ago from reader Johnny Autos that Ferrari pulled the franchise, and if there is any truth to that, rumors at Ferrari Chat suggest it part of the reason could have been Steve Wynn flipping his LaFerrari before the 18-month no-sale period had elapsed. Wynn supposedly sold his $1.5 million supercar to Naples Motorsports in Florida for $3.5 million, Naples is asking $5 million for it and using it for the elementary school run in the meantime. On the other hand, Vegas Tripping says Wynn is letting the dealership go in order to get ready for the Alon – another casino – to open across the street in three years. That story believes Wynn will build a pedestrian bridge and rearrange shops on the Wynn side so that customers enjoy the kind of grand entry he would want. And then there's the theory that Penske is getting out of the Ferrari dealership business to focus on commercial trucks. No matter where the truth is in all of this, what matters to you is that you won't be able to spend $10 to check out Ferraris on the strip anymore. Which means more money for the penny slots.

Electric Maserati Grecale Folgore will have over 500 horsepower

Maserati is beginning to release details about its Folgore-badged range of EVs. We know that the battery-powered version of the next Gran Turismo will have over 1,200 horsepower, and Autoblog learned preliminary details (including output and range) about the Grecale Folgore. Due out in 2023, the electric Grecale will share its Giorgio platform with the gasoline-powered model. Pictured in the gallery above, the architecture will incorporate a 105-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack and a pair of electric motors for through-the-road all-wheel-drive. Federico De Medio, Maserati's head of vehicle validation, told us to expect over 500 horsepower and more than 300 miles of driving range. "We were able to install the battery pack in the lower part of the car while keeping the Giorgio platform, which is a very versatile architecture that can be multi-energy," he said. "I've heard people say, 'It can't underpin an EV!' Well, you can clearly see that it can." Maserati will rely on lightweight materials, like aluminum and carbon fiber, to partially offset the weight of the battery pack. It will give the Grecale a 400-volt electrical system, a solution chosen for its flexibility, and the motors that will power the SUV will not be the same units fitted to the Gran Turismo. Clearly, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to electrifying a portfolio of models as diverse as Maserati's. But, while electric cars make headlines, gasoline-powered cars make volume, and Maserati isn't giving up on that part of its range quite yet. It tentatively plans to offer only electric cars by 2030, but until then (and maybe even beyond then) it will let customers choose what they drive. "We are one of the few brands still making investments in two technologies: internal combustion and electric," said Bill Peffer, head of Maserati's American division. "People have asked us why. The reason is simple: We're adding products to the lineup, and the [EV] adoption curve is different in different parts of the world, so we're going to let the customer choose. The customer is going to decide what the rate is going to be, and we have the flexibility of ramping up or ramping down depending on demand. There's a long runway between now and 2030."