2023 Maserati Ghibli Modena Q4 on 2040-cars

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Maserati introduces Ghibli to Americans in Super Bowl spot

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles aired three commercials during this year's Super Bowl, and the first spot was given to Maserarti during the first quarter of the big game. The 90-second ad was used by Maserati to introduce its new midsize Ghibli luxury sports sedan to a very captive American audience.
Called Strike, the Ghibli commercial tells the familiar tale of the little guy who waits around for the world's giants to let down their guard. Scroll down to watch the spot yourself and let us know if it lives up to the high bar that Chrysler brands have set for themselves in past Super Bowls.

Audi gets Q2 and Q4 badges in trademark swap with FCA

Audi has swapped trademarks with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to snare the rights to the Q2 and Q4 badges for upcoming crossover SUVs. Audi CEO Rupert Stadler confirmed at the Detroit Motor Show that the automaker had finally persuaded FCA to release the two names that would let Audi lock up the Q1 to Q9 badges for its growing SUV family. Audi already plans to drop the Q2 name onto its MQB-based city crossover five-door this year, while the Q4 badge will slot onto the rump of a coupe-like version of the next Q3. It will also reserve the Q1 badge for a 2018 baby crossover, based around the architecture of the next A1 hatch. The A1 will share a lot of its engineering with Volkswagen's Polo-based soft-roader, dubbed T-Cross in concept form. The German company has also pounced on the naming rights for SQ versions of all of its Q-cars, along with F-Tron to cover the day when it pushes hydrogen fuel cell cars into production. Stadler insisted that no money had changed hands in order to pry the two badges off FCA, admitting that they had "each found something we needed." "We promised each other we wouldn't disclose what it cost, but it was not something they were willing to sell," Stadler said. "We tried to get it years ago and they said 'No, never,' but there is never 'never' in business. ... This year I went back to them with a proposal and we talked and there were some negotiations and then we agreed to it." Those negotiations are believed to have centered on a trademark swap with a Volkswagen Group name that FCA desperately (evidently) wants to use on a Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge or Maserati. Asked if Audi had given FCA a trademark in return for Q2 and Q4, Stadler replied, "Something very much like that, yes." Audi has used Italian names on past concept cars that FCA could be interested in, such as the 2001 Avantissimo concept and the 2003 Nuvolari coupe. The latter was named after legendary pre-war racer Tazio, who won grands prix for both Alfa Romeo and Audi's forerunner, Auto Union. Both are unlikely trade chips, with laws in Europe preventing the trademarking of the names of actual people. There is always "quattro" (Italian for "four"), but after investing nearly four decades locking it in as an Audi all-wheel-drive name, it's just not anything like trade bait.

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."