1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder Gs Convertible 2-door 2.4l on 2040-cars

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Barbie-themed Maserati Grecale Trofeo: Stick that in your dream house

A new live-action Barbie movie is coming, which means brand collaborations across several industries. The car-crazy Barbie world is teaming up with Maserati and Neiman Marcus to create a one-off Grecale Trofeo SUV with so much pink that the Mary Kay paint factory may be running low for a while.  As a whole, the Barbie universe is incredibly car-friendly and has featured some iconic models over the years, including Corvettes, a 911, a Ferrari, and various Jeeps. Maserati’s hoping to get on that list with its new Grecale Trofeo SUV. The automaker partnered with Neiman Marcus on the car as part of its Fantasy Gift Launch and to celebrate the release of the new Barbie movie. Only one Grecale Trofeo will be available in the United States as part of the promotion (did they think that's all they could sell?). Like other Trofeos, it uses the 530-horsepower V6 Nettuno engine from the MC20 and features the classic Barbie pink exterior colors. Logos and other graphics accent the loud exterior color. Inside, the black interior features full leather upholstery and leather covering the dash, doors, and other components. The seats feature pink “B” stitching. Maserati and Neiman Marcus estimate the value of the SUV at $330,000. Ten percent of the sales will go to the Barbie Dream Gap Project, so this is more than a vanity project for Maserati and the department store chain. We donÂ’t know much about the other cars that will make appearances in Margo RobbieÂ’s upcoming Barbie remix, but the movieÂ’s teaser poster shows her driving a C1 Corvette with what appears to be a charging port door. An electrified first-generation Corvette would make waves, but even something as unique as that will have a hard time competing with the Grecale for attention. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

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:

Consumer Reports no longer recommends Honda Civic

Consumer Reports annual Car Reliability Survey is out, and yes, there are some big surprises. First and foremost? The venerable publication no longer recommends the Honda Civic. In fact, aside from the walking-dead CR-Z and limited-release Clarity fuel-cell car, the Civic is the only Honda to miss out on CR's prestigious nod. At the opposite end there's a surprise as well – Toyota and Lexus remain the most reliable brands on the market, but Buick cracked the top three. That's up from seventh last year, and the first time for an American brand to stand on the Consumer Reports podium. Mazda's entire lineup earned Recommended checks as well. Consumer Reports dinged the Civic for its "infuriating" touch-screen radio, lack of driver lumbar adjustability, the limited selection of cars on dealer lots fitted with Honda's popular Sensing system, and the company's decision to offer LaneWatch instead of a full-tilt blind-spot monitoring system. Its score? A lowly 58. The Civic isn't the only surprise drop from CR's Recommended ranks. The Audi A3, Ford F-150, Subaru WRX/STI, and Volkswagen Jetta, GTI, and Passat all lost the Consumer Reports' checkmark. On the flipside, a number of popular vehicles graduated to the Recommended ranks, including the BMW X5, Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, and Cruze, Hyundai Santa Fe, Porsche Macan, and Tesla Model S. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the hilariously recall-prone Ford Escape getting a Recommended check – considering the popularity of Ford's small crossover, this is likely a coup for the brand, as it puts the Escape on a level playing field with the Recommended Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue. While Ford is probably happy to see CR promote the Escape, the list wasn't as kind for every brand. For example, of the entire Fiat Chrysler Automobiles catalog, the ancient Chrysler 300 was the only car to score a check – there wasn't a single Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, or Ram on the list. That hurts. FCA isn't alone at the low end, either. GMC, Jaguar Land Rover, Mini, and Mitsubishi don't have a vehicle on CR's list between them, while brands like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Lincoln, Infiniti, and Cadillac only have a few models each. You can check out Consumer Reports entire reliability roundup, even without a subscription, here.