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Maserati and Lamborghini pull out of Iran

Daimler is out, Toyota is out, Porsche is out, Hyundai, PSA Peugeot-Citroën are out and when it comes to selling cars in Iran, now Maserati and Lamborghini are out, too. The definitive pullouts of those last two automakers are said to be reactions to a press conference held by a group called United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI). The group highlights businesses that sell in both the US market and Iran, and works to get those businesses to choose one market or the other.
UANI said it had sent letters to Maserati and Lamborghini about their dealings in Iran, but that the letters went unanswered. Mark Wallace, head of UANI and a former US ambassador to the United Nations, held a press conference in October of last year that referenced the two companies. Apparently Lamborghini contacted Wallace just after the press conference and told him "they were out, they weren't doing any business in Iran anymore."
Discussions with Maserati then took place, and the Italian automaker said it had been out of Iran ever since Fiat announced it was leaving the country in May 2011. UANI said Maserati had been in talks with an Iranian distributor, however, and that distributor was continuing to use the Maserati name. The carmaker has since cut all ties with Iranian interests and has prevented its name from being used, adding that its new models will not be able to be sold there because they won't pass regulations the country's regulations.

2017 Maserati Model Year Preview and Updates

From a storied past, to an almost-forgotten nameplate and to what it offers today – in the guise of two four door sedans, a coupe or convertible GT and its first-ever SUV – Maserati has, over the last several years, quietly exploded into the ranks of desirable brands. And with the introduction of the all-new Levante SUV (pictured above), the Italian marque once again confounds the skeptics. MASERATI LEVANTE: The Levante, Maserati's first-ever SUV, arrives in the US marketplace at exactly the right time, as interest in all-road capability has never been higher, and high-end offerings have never been more numerous. Supplying what Maserati describes as best-in-class on-road handling in 'sport' mode and leading off-road comfort, propulsion is supplied by your choice of two V6 powertrains: a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 with 345 horsepower in the Levante, and the same basic V6 with 424 horsepower in the Levante S. GHIBLI: Maserati's most accessible model, with a base price of just over $70K, is unchanged for 2017. GRAN TURISMO COUPE/CABRIOLET: Maserati's 2+2 coupe and convertible are unchanged for 2017. QUATTROPORTE: Maserati's luxury four-door receives an exterior nip here and tuck there, along with updated infotainment inside. Available in both GranLusso and GranSport, you can enjoy sport-oriented luxury or luxury-oriented sport. And unlike its siblings, which offer either V6 powertrains or V8 powertrains, the Quattroporte allows the buyer to select one from each column.

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.