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Maserati ramping up production of Ghibli, Quattroporte

While Porsche may be relatively new to the four-door game, Maserati has been building the Quattroporte with few interruptions since 1963. But like its rival from Stuttgart, the Trident marque is rapidly shifting from a sports car company primarily to a manufacturer of high-end family transportation. Not only does it have the new Quattroporte on the market, but now it's got the Ghibli sedan as well and the Levante crossover on its way.
It's a gambit that's reaping huge benefits not only for Maserati itself but also for its newly merged parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, which is finding the mass market less lucrative than it once was and is positioning both Maserati and Alfa Romeo against other luxury marques like BMW, Audi and Porsche. As a result, Maserati is considerably expanding its production.
Last month, Maserati sold over 3,000 cars, putting it on track to double its sales from 2013. But it's not about to stop there. With growing demand for its authentically Italian luxury sedans, Maserati is shifting more workers to its assembly plant in the Turinese suburn of Grugliasco (where the QP and Ghibli are made) and shortening vacation time to ramp production up from 750 cars per week to 900.

Recharge Wrap-up: DIY Tesla charging arm, Tesla vs. Maserati smackdown

A Tesla Model S owner built his own version of an automatic charging arm. Assumingly inspired by the creepy, snake-like prototype Tesla previewed a while back, Deepak Mital's autonomous robot – which he calls the Evtron – finds the plug on his Model S and connects the cable to begin charging. Mital says he plans to open source his design once he's finished. It may not be as "sensual" as Tesla's prototype, but people are less likely to flee it in terror. See the Evtron in action in the video above, and read more at Electrek. A Maserati dealership has taken down a comparison between the Ghibli and the Tesla Model S after a thrashing from the EV community. First of all, the Tesla corner pointed out that the listed price of the Model S 60 at $89,320 is misleading, as the current model starts at $66,000 (a loaded 2015 could be optioned up to the price stated by Maserati, but to call that a fair comparison to the $69,800 Ghibli is highly debatable). Other, older Tesla specs also angered the EV supporters. After a Reddit post and a subsequent backlash toward Maserati of Kirkland, the dealership removed the comparison from its website. Read more at Electrek. A new report predicts that the EV charging system market will generate $8.02 billion by 2022. The report from Allied Market Research, titled "World Electric Vehicle Charging System Market," says that the market will see a CAGR of 30.7 percent from 2016 to 2022. In terms of region, Europe will dominate the market, and home charging systems will outpace public chargers. Forces like unstable fuel prices and government programs to reduce carbon emissions will spur EV sales, which, in turn, will boost the market for charging systems. Read more in the press release below. Electric Vehicle Charging System Market is Estimated to Generate $8.02 Billion by 2022 A new report by Allied Market Research titled, "World Electric Vehicle Charging System Market", forecasts that the world electric vehicle charging system market would generate revenue of $8.02 billion by 2022, registering a CAGR of 30.7% during the forecast period, 2016-2022. In 2015, Europe was the highest revenue-generating region owing to the increasing penetration of home and commercial charging systems in countries such as the Netherland, Denmark, UK and France.

Pete Grady retiring from Chrysler, Maserati

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is about to lose one of its top executives as the president of Maserati North America, Pete Grady, has announced his retirement. A lifelong automotive industry exec, Grady joined the American Motors Corporation back in 1984 after graduating from John Carroll University in his native Ohio. After AMC was bought out by Chrysler, Grady started rising through the ranks under the Pentastar as a sales manager. He was named vice president of network development and fleet operations in 2009 and was shortly thereafter put in charge of the Chrysler Group's dealer network. He continued to hold that position when he was named last year as the top man at Maserati North America. Grady will continue to hold responsibility for Chrysler's dealer network until his retirement takes effect on March 31, 2015. His position as head of Maserati's American office, however, will pass to the Trident marque's global sales chief Christian Gobber, who will hand off responsibility for the Chinese region to Mirko Bordiga but maintain his global portfolio. CHANGES AT THE TOP IN MASERATI NORTH AMERICA AND MASERATI CHINA Monday, 8 December 2014 – Effective January 1st, 2015, Christian Gobber will be assigned responsibility for Maserati North America, replacing Pete Grady, who has announced his intent to retire effective March 31st, 2015. Christian Gobber will maintain his responsibility for Maserati Global Sales. Effective January 1st, 2015, Mirko Bordiga will join Maserati and will be assigned responsibility for Maserati China, replacing Christian Gobber. Maserati further strengthens its sales and commercial structure in the two main markets for the Trident brand. Maserati CEO Harald Wester thanks Pete Grady for his dedication and achievements at the helm of Maserati in North America, and wishes all the best to Christian Gobber and Mirko Bordiga in their new positions. ### Chrysler Group's Grady to Retire December 5, 2014 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - Chrysler Group today announced that Peter Grady has stated his intention to retire, effective March 31, 2015. In the interim, Grady will retain his current responsibilities as Vice President Dealer Network Development and continue as a member of the Company's NAFTA Leadership Team. In a move announced earlier, Christian Gobber will assume responsibility for leading Maserati North America, effective January 1, 2015.