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Maserati confirms mystery concept, Zegna edition QP for Geneva

Debate ensued last week around the Autoblog offices when we first heard rumors that Maserati was bringing a new sports car concept to the Geneva Motor Show this year. Could there be any truth to the rumors? Did the timing make any sense? Does Maserati even need a two-door halo car to help it move examples of the new Ghibli, Quattroporte and upcoming Levante?
Well, we still don't have any official answer, but Maserati has indeed confirmed a new concept car to debut this week at the Swiss expo. The Modenese automaker hasn't indicated what form the concept will take, but assuming it's not doing another sedan or crossover, and unless it's planning a wagon concept like Touring's Bellagio Fastback or StudioTorino's Cinqueporte (both based on the previous Quattroporte), we feel it's more likely than not that we'll be looking at a two-door (be it a coupe, convertible or something in between).
Of course, we also don't know at this point just what size and segment Maserati is pursuing with this concept car (initial rumors had it going after the Jaguar F-Type) or for that matter whether it will presage a production version to follow or simply stand as a design study. But Maserati doesn't typically do many of the latter: the Kubang concepts of 2011 and 2003 previewed the Levante (albeit several years in advance), and the Birdcage was really more of a Pininfarina project, despite the Trident on the nose. With the exception of a couple production-based show cars (which themselves previewed production versions to follow), those are pretty much the only concepts Maserati has done in recent memory.

Maserati cutting Ghibli, Quattroporte production on slowing demand

If Maserati is going to meet its ambitious sale targets, it's going to need to grow as fast as its cars can accelerate. But lately, the Trident marque has seen demand for its luxury sedans flattening, if not receding. And now Maserati has had to cut production to avoid overshooting demand. We've been seeing reports of production being trimmed at the company's Grugliasco plant near Turin, Italy, for over a month now. But while earlier reports seemed to indicate the trouble was rooted in supplier issues, the latest suggests that slowing demand is the culprit. According to Automotive News Europe, parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has had to cut the number of shifts at Grugliasco (where the Ghibli and Quattroporte are produced) from 12 per week to 10. "Fiat has told us that workers at the Grugliasco plant will be working for three weeks out of four up until July," union leader Federico Bellono told ANE. "The company is predicting production of about 30,000 to 35,000 cars at Grugliasco this year. I think it will be closer to 30,000." Last year the plant produced 34,000 units, with the sedans accounting for the bulk of Maserati's sales. Of the 36,448 units the Modena-based automaker sold last year, 23,500 were Ghiblis and 9,500 were Quattroportes, with the GranTurismo accounting for just 3,500 units. That's up considerably from the total of 15,400 units it sold in 2013, but is still some ways off from the 50,000 it hopes to reach this year and the 75,000 it aims to achieve by 2018. The arrival of the upcoming Levante crossover, as well as the Alfieri sports car and new GranTurismo, will surely help. But if Maserati is going to reach its ambitious sales targets, it's going to have to find more buyers for its core sedans. Repeated requests made by Autoblog for comment from Maserati have yet to be answered, but we'll be sure to update you if and when relevant new information comes to light. Related Video:

Share price falls on skepticism of Chrysler-Fiat five-year plan

Following this week's Fiat Chrysler extravaganza, where the Italian-American manufacturer announced its plans for the next five years, the Autoblog staff was cautiously optimistic of the company's future. Investors? Not so much.
Fiat saw its shares tumble 12 percent in Wednesday's trading, falling from 8.67 euros ($12.06 at today's rates) to 7.44 euros ($10.35) as of this writing, with blame partly going to the Italian half of the FCA marriage, which recorded a pretty significant drop in profits during the first quarter of this year.
The plan, which will cost around $77 billion over the next several years, is facing criticism from investors thanks in part to a 1.4-percent drop in Fiat's first-quarter profits, to 622 million euros ($862 million). That figure is also short of Bloomberg analysts' projections, which predicted $1.18 billion in profits before taxes, interest and one-time items.