2012 Maserati Granturismo Sport Convertible 2-door 4.7l on 2040-cars

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2022 Maserati Ghibli, Levante and Quattroporte get new trim levels

Maserati's three-car lineup soldiers into 2022 with some new trim levels for the Ghibli and Quattroporte sedans and the Levante crossover SUV. Say arrivederci to the GranLusso and GranSport nameplates and buongiorno to the new GT and Modena monikers. They join the Trofeo, which arrived last year as the top-of-the-line variant for sedans after having been introduced on the Levante in 2018. In the Ghibli, the GT is powered by the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 making 345 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. It also gets 18-inch alloy wheels and chrome accents outside, with leather "comfort" seats and Dark Mirror trim inside. The Ghibli Modena features a 424-horsepower version of the V6 engine with 428 lb-ft. Restyled bumpers with black inserts and 20-inch wheels complete the look outside, while the interior boasts "wraparound" leather seats. The top-drawer Ghibli Trofeo returns with its Ferrari-built 580-horsepower twin-turbo 3.8-liter V8 with 538 lb-ft of torque (top speed: 203 miles per hour). The Ghibli Trofeo is also denoted by its carbon-fiber exterior trim, 21-inch wheels and red brake calipers. The Quattroporte GT uses the same 345-hp twin-turbo V6 as the Ghibli GT. The bigger sedan does upgrade to 19-inch wheels outside and what Maserati refers to as "radica" trim inside. In the Quattroporte also, the Modena again uses the 424-hp V6, rolls on 20-inch wheels and is dressed up inside with piano black accents. The Quattroporte Trofeo also rocks the 580-horse twin-turbo V8, carbon-fiber exterior, 21-inch wheels and red brake calipers. The Levante GT again uses the 345-hp V6 but deviates from the sedans with its 19-inch wheels and piano black interior accents. The Levante Modena gets the 424-hp V6, but a Levante-exclusive Modena S model swaps in a 550-hp version of the turbocharged V8. The Levante Modena S also has black exterior elements (the Nerrissimo Pack) and red calipers. The Levante Trofeo gets the full 580-horse version of the V8, again with carbon-fiber exterior trim and 21-inch wheels (with 22-inch available). Pricing has not yet been released for the 2022 Maseratis, although the cars are available to order starting July 1. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Marchionne wants Maserati to be FCA's new Ferrari

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is gearing up to spin Ferrari, its most profitable brand, off into another company, and float its stock on the open market. That means it's going to need another profit-driver to generate income for the rest of the group. And according to its chief executive Sergio Marchionne, that mantle will soon be picked up by Maserati. FCA is betting big on Maserati, which has long stood as a niche marque with a limited array of models and low sales numbers. In addition to the recently introduced Ghibli and Quattroporte sedans – now crucially offered with diesels and all-wheel drive – Maserati is preparing to roll out the Levante crossover that promises to do for the Modenese marque what the Cayenne did for Porsche. Due in part to the success of its first crossover, Porsche turned itself from a niche sports car manufacturer into an immensely profitable automaker that was (nearly) capable of buying out the entire Volkswagen Group. Maserati's resurgence is part of a two-pronged assault FCA is plotting against its German rivals. Maserati will be charged with taking on the higher end of the Mercedes, BMW, and Audi ranges (from the E-Class, 5 Series and A6 upwards). Meanwhile, Alfa Romeo will go after the lower end of the luxury spectrum with the new Giulia (aimed at the C-Class, 3 Series and A4) and other models to follow. FCA aims to turn Maserati and Alfa Romeo (along with Jeep) into global brands, broadening the narrow geographical appeal they have held until now. In order to generate enough profit to support the rest of the group as Ferrari has, Maserati will need to find a way to increase its profit margins. Bloomberg reports that Ferraris command a 13-percent profit margin, and while the ten percent that Maseratis list for is still triple that of the FCA average, slow sales are forcing some dealers to offer deep incentives that cut significantly into that margin. Related Video:

Maserati reorganizes, tries to sharpen the trident

When's the last time we posted on a run of comprehensive success at Alfa Romeo or Maserati? True, Maserati nearly tripled its U.S. sales from 4,768 in 2013 to 12,942 in 2014. However, the brand's been stuck around that number ever since, selling 13,711 units in 2017. Worse, those figures highlight how far Maserati has fallen behind its own goals. In the last five-year plan, the brand targeted 75,000 global sales this year — then downgraded the target to 50,000 in June this year. At 26,400 units through the first nine months of 2018, short of Poseidon surfacing to work some deus ex machina, even that reduced goal won't be met. New Fiat Chrysler CEO Mike Manley is working to give Maserati the leaders and support it needs to point the trident in the right direction. On an analyst call at the end of October, Manley said, "With hindsight, when we put Maserati and Alfa together, it did two things. Firstly, it reduced the focus on Maserati the brand. Secondly, Maserati was treated for a period of time almost as if it were a mass market brand, which it isn't and shouldn't be treated that way." In October 2016, FCA named Reid Bigland to head Alfa Romeo and Maserati; this was back when Alfa Romeo dreamed of selling 400,000 cars annually by 2018. When Manley named his new executive teams last month, after assuming the CEO post following Sergio Marchionne's death in July, Manley separated Alfa Romeo and Maserati. Tim Kuniskis, who had taken over from Bigland, now heads Alfa Romeo and Jeep. Manley then restored Harald Wester to the head of Maserati. Wester ran Maserati from 2008 to 2016, after which he became FCA's chief technology officer, a role he maintains in the latest shuffle. Wester poached Jean-Philippe Leloup from Ferrari. LeLoup ran Ferrari's Central and Eastern European business operations; he now heads a concern called Maserati Commercial. Al Gardner, head of Maserati's North American dealer network since 2015, keeps that role and takes over as head of Maserati North America. Maserati has favorable brand value, but the leadership will confront almost every other problem a brand can have. Half the automaker's sales come from China, and the economic slowdown there is a serious drain on the numbers. In Europe, the WLTP emissions protocol, bloated inventories, and the need for incentives have dulled the edge. Sales worldwide are down 26 percent this year.