2011 Maserati Granturismo S Coupe 2-door 4.7l on 2040-cars

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Maserati GranTurismo EV reappears in spy photos

Maserati made it clear that it was working on a new electric sports car last year, and that it would be a successor to the GranTurismo sports coupe. The car has reappeared in these spy photos, and they give us a better look at the car than the official teaser images. The camouflage also appears to feature an additional name. Let's first talk about the name. In addition to the regular Maserati name, the camouflage now has another word: "Folgore." Translated from Italian, it means "lightning" or "thunderbolt." Maserati brought up this name a couple years ago when it started talking about its future electric vehicles, and it first referenced an electric version of the MC20 mid-engine sports car. So this confirms this prototype is electric, and that it will probably be known as the GranTurismo Folgore. As for the looks, the Folgore actually looks a whole lot like the internal-combustion car it will replace. That's no bad thing, though, since the old coupe is still a looker. The front fascia has the most obvious changes with a grille that's more of a simple oval shape, still bearing a large Maserati trident. The headlights are more vertical now, which helps tie it to the MC20. Looking at the rest of the car, the proportions are still very classic with a long nose and short deck, despite not needing that front-end space for an engine. The fenders are still voluptuous, and the rear lights are similarly shaped to the old car, though much slimmer. We're expecting to see the GranTurismo Folgore revealed this year, which is slightly later than Maserati initially planned. The MC20 Folgore powertrain previewed a couple years ago featured three electric motors, one at the front and two at the rear, and it would likely be carried over to the GranTurismo. Power was estimated at more than the combustion MC20's 620 horsepower. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Fiat Chrysler's Q3 profit boosted by strong North American earnings

MILAN, Italy — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) reported a 17 percent jump in third-quarter adjusted operating profit on Tuesday, helped by a strong performance in its key North American market and improving operations in Europe and Latin America. The world's seventh-largest carmaker still makes the lion's share of its profits in North America, so improving, or at least maintaining, its margins there is a key focus. The carmaker reported an 8 percent adjusted operating profit margin in the region, up from 7.6 percent a year ago, despite a drop in sales and shipments. "FCA's profitability in North America remained strong in the quarter despite a weakening market there," a Milan-based analyst said. FCA's profitability compares with an 8.3 percent North America margin reached in the quarter by bigger U.S. rival GM , showing CEO Sergio Marchionne making progress towards his goal of closing the margin gap with GM and the company's other U.S. rival, Ford, by 2018. The company's confirmation of its full-year outlook also pushed shares higher, a trader added. The stock was up 2.8 percent by 1129 GMT, outperforming a 1 percent rise in the European auto index. FCA has been retooling some U.S. factories to boost output of sport-utility vehicles (SUVs) and trucks while ending production of some unprofitable sedans to strengthen profitability as the U.S. car market comes off its peak. The company said a drop in North America shipments due to lower fleet sales and discontinued models was partially offset by higher deliveries of Ram trucks and two models from the Alfa Romeo stable: the Stelvio sport utility vehicle and Giulia sedan. Profitability also improved in Europe, helped by sales of the Stelvio and the new Jeep Compass, and Latin America, while margins at Maserati remained strong at 13.8 percent due to strong demand for its first SUV, the Levante. In a later conference call, investors are looking for hints on the new strategy to 2022 which the company promised to unveil early next year. Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne said earlier this year that FCA would streamline its portfolio and that components businesses, including Magneti Marelli, would be separated from the group, possibly via a spin-off. While FCA confirmed its targets this year, doubts remain about its exposure to a weakening U.S. market, recall costs and potential fines over emissions after it was targeted by European and U.S.

Maserati Ghibli GranLusso gets semi-autonomous tech and updated styling

Maserati's littlest sedan is getting a little bit of a makeover in the form a new GranLusso trim for the Ghibli. It will make its official debut at the Chengdu auto show in China, and it mostly consists of aesthetic updates. Up front, the GranLusso gets a grille that has chrome vertical bars in addition to the surround. They also appear thicker and more aggressive. The lower grille has been reshaped, with the outboard openings sweeping up and out, creating more of a smile shape. The headlights are less busy, with a very narrow LED accent strip, and square-shaped projectors. Along the side, the GranLusso gets some badges to tell everyone you got the newest fanciest Ghibli. At the back, the rear bumper has been ever so slightly reshaped at the base. Maserati claims the changes make the car more aerodynamically efficient, but don't give specifics, and frankly we can't imagine the improvement nearly enough to make any real difference to the way the car drives or performs. Styling tweaks aren't the only addition to the GranLusso though. The car will feature some type of semi-autonomous or autonomous driving technology. Again, no specific details were given. We reached out to Maserati for an explanation, and they wouldn't elaborate, saying that there should be more info when it makes its debut at the Chengdu show. No release window or pricing were given either. Related Video: