2008 Mitsubishi Eclipse Gt Spyder; L@@k! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

The troubled Alfa Romeo Giulia needs serious help [UPDATE]

UPDATE: An Alfa Romeo US spokesman responded to this article with the following statement: The safety concerns expressed in the story are false. The all-new 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia is designed and engineered to meet or exceed all federal safety regulations. The Alfa Romeo Giulia will begin production for the North American market in the late second-quarter of this year. Alfa Romeo will have a full product portfolio of premium vehicles that includes plans for (8) all-new Alfa Romeo vehicles by 2020. The product launches are prioritized by segment volumes starting this year with the Alfa Romeo Giulia production for North America starting in late Q2, followed by the Midsize-UV – the 2nd largest premium segment in North America. Even on the day you dragged them kicking and screaming and gesticulating wildly to a table full of concrete evidence, Alfa Romeo executives will never admit the Giulia program is going through a tough patch. But it is. Reports say the Giulia, on the eve of production, didn't just fail one internal crash test, but failed the front, side and rear impact tests. Alfa denies it. Automotive News published a report last week saying two suppliers had insisted the Giulia, on the eve of production, didn't just fail one internal crash test, but failed the front-, side-, and rear-impact tests. A third supplier source told us the same thing. Alfa is denying it. It was due on sale in Europe late last year and was supposed to be here in the next month or two. But it wasn't, and it won't. It was to be headlined by a twin-turbo V6 that reportedly howled its way around the Nurburgring 14 seconds faster than the BMW M3 could manage. That second part is only true if you believe it's fair to compare a full lap in a standard BMW M3 with a favorable accumulation of sector times to a development prototype Giulia with 220 pounds stripped out of it and rolling on hand-cut racing slicks. No, me neither. A Promising Start The Giulia's all-new architecture was developed in just two years by a skunkworks of young engineers headed by Fiat's engineering prince, Philippe Krief, and (bafflingly) sited inside Maserati's headquarters complex in Modena, about three hours from Alfa Romeo's own Turin HQ.

Maserati confirms limited edition Quattroporte Zegna for production

Last year two of the biggest names in Italian style – one from the automotive industry and one from fashion – announced a partnership. Together Maserati and Ermenegildo Zegna revealed a "concept" version of the Quattroporte at the Frankfurt Motor Show, only given how production-ready the show car already looked, nobody really believed it would remain just a concept. And now, having revealed the final version in Geneva, Maserati has confirmed it for production. Limited production, that is, because Maserati will only build 100 examples of the Quattroporte Zegna edition for consumption around the world. That's about one-thirtieth of the number of cars Maserati produces each month at this point, and while the Modenese automaker doesn't break down its sales figures by model, the QP accounts for a large proportion of those numbers. Maserati also hasn't said just how much it will charge for the Zegna edition, but you can bet it'll be a handsome premium – more than some of those designer-edition hatchbacks get at any rate – yet it'll undoubtedly offload the entire run in short order. "ONE OF 100" THE MASERATI QUATTROPORTE ZEGNA LIMITED EDITION Wednesday, July 16, 2014 – After making its world debut at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, Maserati has revealed an exclusive limited edition Maserati Quattroporte in collaboration with luxury Italian fashion house, Ermenegildo Zegna. Just 100 examples of the limited series will be built which feature colour schemes, materials and exclusive trims which link the histories of the two brands. To celebrate the launch of the Quattroporte Zegna Limited Edition, Maserati and Zegna are embarking on a tour of four international events starting in Shanghai in July 2014 before stopping in New York (Sept 2014), Dubai (Feb 2015) and Milan (Spring 2015). The events are designed to present the Quattroporte Zegna Limited Edition to an exclusive audience and to celebrate the partnership between the two Italian brands; both of whom are masters in Italian excellence. The exclusive event locations have been carefully selected to enhance the uniqueness of the alliance and represent the pinnacle of Italian elegance. Guests will be able to discover the car's premium finishes in detail and see the extraordinary result of the partnership. World famous Italian photographer, Fabrizio Ferri, will be in attendance at each of the four events capturing 100 unique images – 25 from each occasion.

Maserati Levante could get a V8 to battle the Cayenne Turbo

Maserati's new Levante crossover is based on the platform shared by the Ghibli and Quattroporte sedans. The Quattroporte's top engine is a 523-horsepower, twin-turbo 3.8-liter V8. When asked if that engine would fit in the Levante, a Maserati engineer gave the answer we were hoping to hear almost immediately. "Yes, it fits, and we have a prototype already," said Davide Danesin, the head of Maserati vehicle programs. The Levante will launch with two models, both of which use the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 that Ferrari builds for Maserati, but in two different tunes. The first generation of the V6 launched in the Ghibli and Quattroporte. While the V8 is only currently used in the rear-drive Quattroporte GTS, Danesin assures us that packaging the V8 and an all-wheel-drive system works. There is that prototype, after all. The fact that Danesin volunteered that a V8 prototype exists leads us to believe it's being very seriously considered, since manufacturers reluctantly acknowledge that there will even be a future, let alone one that will bring new, as-yet-unannounced products. Maserati officials caution that it may be tough to make a case for such a vehicle, however, as the over-500-hp SUV segment is pretty small, at about 12,000 units per year by their estimates. It's also relatively crowded, with the logical bogeys being the Porsche Cayenne Turbo (520 hp) and Turbo S (570 hp) and the Range Rover Sport SVR (550 hp). None of them will touch the Levante's upcoming American cousin, the Hellcat-powered Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, but that's cool. View 21 Photos We'd guess that the yay/nay on a V8 Levante will hinge on the overall popularity of the new model as well as the mix of 345-hp Levante versus 424-hp Levante S models once customers start ordering. Which is to say, if you think you'll want a V8 Levante eventually, get out there and buy a few Levante S models when they hit dealers this October. In other Maserati powertrain news, we're told the second-generation V6, which makes 20 more horsepower in its angriest tune and debuts in the Levante, will show up in the Ghibli and Quattroporte "soon." We'd peg that at mid-cycle refresh time, which should be in a year or so. The second-gen V6 gets its extra power from re-profiled camshafts, some redesign work on the heads, and other tweaks, likely in software. Oh, and for more on the first Maserati crossover and that updated engine, watch for our first drive of the twin-turbo V6 Levante very soon.