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Latin music star Ren? P?rez destroys own Maserati to send kids a message

Can destroying a car be art? That question comes a bit too late for the Maserati Quattroporte seen above. The act depicted is from the music video for Adentro by Puerto Rican hip-hop act Calle 13 new single.
While the video is not yet online, the making-of featurette is available below and shows the luxury sedan getting beat with a baseball bat (and more) by the group's frontman René Pérez. According to Latin Gossip, Pérez wants to send his fans a message not to place too high a value in material objects. The Maserati represents a time in his life of too much excess, it seems...
The guy might have an argument, but it still seems pretty wasteful to destroy a perfectly good Italian sports sedan. We will be curious to see how far the destruction goes, but you can get a peak at it in the video below.

40+ cars that barely avoid the gas guzzler tax

The Gas Guzzler schedule, with mpg ratings and charges that haven't changed since 1991, lays out which fuel-swillers owe what to Uncle Sam.
I started thinking about the "Gas Guzzler Tax" - considerably less well known as The Energy Tax Act of 1978 - when I was driving Dodge's new Challenger SRT Hellcat last week. Unsurprisingly for a car that can burn 1.5 gallons of gas per minute at max tilt, theoretically able to empty a full tank of premium in about 13 minutes, the Hellcat will be subject to the Gas Guzzler Tax schedule when it goes on sale.

Maserati recalls 135 GranTurismos over door latches

Maserati issued a recall for faulty door latches on the GranTurismo. Only 135 examples are affected, though the GranTurismo is a low-volume product. The problem with the door latches is that they may not have been properly heat-treated, which means that in the event of a crash, the door could swing open. All of the affected GranTurismos (both coupes and convertibles) are from the 2016 model year and were produced between June 24, 2015, and September 2, 2015. While Maserati's sales figures (thanks largely to the introduction of newer models) continue to climb, the GranTurismo accounts for only a small portion of the company's overall production. Last year the company sold an all-time high of 36,500 units around the world, of which only 3,500 (or less than one tenth) were from the GranTurismo line - which remains the oldest in the Maserati lineup. Since introducing the GranTurismo in 2007, the Modenese automaker has rolled out the Ghibli, replaced the Quattroporte, and is preparing to delve into the SUV market with the forthcoming Levante. A new two-door model is expected to arrive in the form of the Alfieri, which won't replace the GranTurismo, per se, but we wouldn't expect the GranTurismo to stick around for long after the Alfieri comes along. RECALL Subject : Passenger Side Door Latch Not Heat Treated Report Receipt Date: NOV 10, 2015 NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V744000 Component(s): LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES Potential Number of Units Affected: 135 Manufacturer: Maserati North America, Inc. SUMMARY: Maserati North America, Inc. (Maserati) is recalling certain model year 2016 GranTurismo and GranTurismo Convertibles manufactured June 24, 2015, to September 2, 2015. The affected vehicles were built with passenger side door latch components that were not heat treated. CONSEQUENCE: If the door latch was not heat treated, in the event of a crash, the door latch may fail allowing the door to open, increasing the risk of injury. REMEDY: Maserati will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger side door latch assembly, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in November 2015. Owners may contact Maserati customer service at 1-201-816-2600. Maserati's number for this recall is 292. NOTES: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov. Related Video: