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The Ferrari Enzo's designer isn't worried about the future of supercars

Ken Okuyama is a talented designer with a prestigious portfolio. He spent 12 years at the famed Italian design house Pininfarina after a stint with GM's Advanced Design Studio, where he worked on the C5 Corvette. He also styled the Boxster and 996-generation 911 at Porsche. His first Ferrari design was the Rossa concept car, though his most famous creation is the Enzo. Now Okuyama runs a design studio that not only is responsible for the new Kode57 supercar that debuted in Monterey this past weekend, but also eye glasses, civic planning, and even Japanese bullet trains. We caught up with Okuyama at the Concorso Italiano car show, plopped down on a couple of plush leather chairs right in front of his brand new Kode57, and chatted about what the future holds for car design. Alex Kierstein: Lately there's been a lot of talk about autonomy and future mobility. What sort of challenges and opportunities do you think this autonomous future is going to provide for you as a car designer? Ken Okuyama: It is a really fantastic time for designers because of two reasons. One is that the public and private transport have been two separate, completely different industries up until now. Now, when you think about the future of autonomy, that really brings the automobiles into something more of a public transportation. You really have to think about the total experience of the customers from buying the ticket to the paying mechanism. That's just hardware, actually. It is a huge challenge for engineers and designers, and I really love that. That's one reason. Another reason is that just like horses were a means of transport 100 or so years ago, up until Henry Ford mass-produced the Model T. Now, maybe sports cars are becoming like horses. Now, horses are a great object for hobby, sports, and part of the Olympics and everything. Cars are going to be like that also. Dr. Porsche [was asked what type of] automobile is going to last for the longest time. He said, "the sports car." I really believe in that, because with sports cars, you never lose a sense of ownership. Autonomous vehicles are things you don't have to own. You have to design a total experience and the whole operation. A car, you want to own it. It's part of you. Your mechanical watches, do you borrow them from somebody? You want to own it. Your suits, your favorite shirts, you want to borrow them from somebody for your experience? No, you want to own it. Ownership is a core part of human beings.

2025 Maserati GranCabrio Folgore is the third flash of Modena lightning

The debut of the 2025 Maserati GranCabrio Folgore completes Maserati's initial trio of battery-electric offerings, the Atlantis High powertrain in this car complementing the Nettuno V6-powered GranCabrio Trofeo that Maserati debuted in February. The first of its kind, the GranCabrio Folgore establishes the six-figure, four-seat, battery-electric luxury grand tourer convertible segment until something like an electric Porsche 911, Mercedes-AMG SL, or reborn Jaguar XKR comes along. At speeds of up to 31 miles per hour, the roof available in five colors folds in 14 seconds and raises in 16. With the top up, trunk space shrinks from the coupe's 9.5 cubic feet to 6.1 cubic feet. Stow the top, there are 4.6 cubic feet available for soft-sided bags. Neck warmers built into the seats come standard, a wind blocker lives on the options menu.   Built around the same 92.5-kWh (83 kWh usable) T-shaped battery and three-motor drivetrain as on the GranTurismo Folgore, maximum output differs from actual output: Each motor can produce 402 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque, but the full 1,206 hp needs to wait on stouter battery options. With today's chemistry, Maserati engineers decided to restrain combined output to 751 hp and 996 lb-ft., with even that figure only unlocked in Corsa mode with launch control. The catapult shot to 60 miles per hour is estimated at about 2.7 seconds; top speed is 180 miles per hour.      Shoppers will get a choice of six wheels in staggered 20-inch front and 21-inch rear sizes. Two of those wheel designs are aero-focused and wrapped in EV-specific rubber. Maserati gave a WLTP estimated range of up to 278 miles on a charge, an EPA-rated estimate of 250 miles, which would be on the aero options. Plugging into a DC fast charger capable of 270 kW is said to replenish the battery from 20% to 80% in 18 minutes, and add 62 miles in five minutes.  The interior's a mix of reborn Maserati and the special touches applied to the hardtop electric sibling, meaning the quartet of digital displays (gauge cluster, infotainment, HVAC, and clock), 18-way front seats in recycled Econyl or leather, 16-speaker Sonus Faber audio, and carbon fiber trim inlaid with copper filaments. The automaker's also giving owners a wallbox with purchase, and has hooked up a single-pay system to use a range of chargers from different infrastructure companies. Order books open in August, and Maserati anticipates deliveries beginning in Q4 this year.

Awaiting Chevy Trailblazer, driving Ford Ranger | Autoblog Podcast #580

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski and Green Editor John Beltz Snyder. First, they discuss the news, including the Chevy Trailblazer, Ferrari to stop providing Maserati with engines, an upcoming Ferrari Hybrid, Elon Musk's sex jokes and the reveal of the McLaren GT. They also talk at length about a couple vehicles they've been driving: the Kia Niro EV and the Ford Ranger. Autoblog Podcast #580 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Chevy Trailblazer could be coming to the U.S. Ferrari to stop supplying engines to Maserati Ferrari to reveal a hybrid supercar Sex on Autopilot McLaren GT revealed Cars we're driving: 2019 Kia Niro EV 2019 Ford Ranger Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: Green Podcasts Chevrolet Ferrari Ford Kia Maserati McLaren Tesla Truck Coupe Crossover Hatchback Electric Future Vehicles Hybrid Off-Road Vehicles Performance Supercars