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Maserati Levante, Ghibli and Quattroporte get Edizione Nobile limited edition models

Maserati has a new special-edition package for its 2019 vehicles it calls the Edizione Nobile , or Noble Edition. The Levante, Ghibli and Quattroporte (not the GranTurismo) are all going to get in on the Noble fun, with 50 of each being built. Why Maserati decided to go with the Noble Edition name isn't exactly explained beyond the name of the paint being Blu Nobile. Each Maserati gets that handsome blue paint plus 20-inch alloy wheels and silver brake calipers to set them apart from their non-noble (peasant?) siblings. We'll note that this package is available on top of the GranLusso trim level for each of the cars. Inside, you'll get the sport seats from the GranSport covered in a black/brown color combination. The Quattroporte and Ghibli cabins use glossy wood for their cabin trim while the Levante uses a high-gloss metal. An Edizione Nobile badge is displayed on the center console with the car's series number next to it. There aren't any exclusive features beyond the appearance of the Edizione Nobile, but a few options are made standard. Those include the Alcantara headliner, Bowers & Wilkins audio system and Maserati's Level 2 driver assistance package. Maserati says Edizione Nobile models will be delivered to dealerships sometime this month. Just add $7,500 on top of the GranLusso trim for each model, and you've got your price. This means a Levante S GranLusso would go from its $91,980 starting price, to $99,480 with the Edizione Nobile package. These models don't really differ much from your run-of-the-mill Maseratis. However, if noble vehicles are your thing, Maserati has 150 of them waiting. Related video:

Maserati's Super Bowl spot may have cost more than $700 per car [w/video]

It's no secret that Super Bowl ad time is very, very expensive, with a 30-second spot for this year's game costing around $4 million. For Maserati, which aired a 90-second spot showing off its new Ghibli sedan during this year's game, the price was considerably above $4 million, though.
Automotive News estimates that the spot cost Maserati the equivalent of over $700 for each of the 15,400 vehicles sold last year. That works out to nearly $11 million. It may have paid off, though, as search traffic for Maserati and the Ghibli in particular saw a significant spike following the airing of the stylish commercial, and the brand's total sales were already on target for record levels before the ad aired.
The Ghibli "deserved a wide audience platform such as the Super Bowl," according to Maserati's chief marketing officer, Saad Chehab. The sports sedan is Maserati's most affordable entry, with prices starting around $67,000, moving the brand further downmarket than it's ever ventured before.

Stellantis and LG launch joint venture for North American battery plant

Stellantis has struck a preliminary deal with battery maker LG Energy Solution (LGES) to produce battery cells and modules for North America, as the world's No. 4 automaker rolls out its 30 billion euro ($35 billion) electrification plan. Global automakers are investing billions of euros to accelerate a transition to low-emission mobility and prepare for a progressive phase-out of internal combustion engines. Stellantis and LGES's joint venture will produce battery cells and modules at a new facility with an annual capacity of 40 gigawatt hours (GWh), the two firms said on Monday. No financial details of the deal were provided. The plant is scheduled to start production by the first quarter of 2024, with groundbreaking expected in the second quarter of 2022, the companies said in their statement. Its location is under review and will be announced later. Stellantis, formed in January from the merger of Italian-American automaker Fiat Chrysler and France's PSA, has said it wants to secure more than 130 GWh of global battery capacity by 2025 and more than 260 GWh by 2030. The batteries produced under the deal will supply Stellantis' U.S., Canadian and Mexican assembly plants for installation in hybrid and fully electric vehicles, supporting its goal of e-vehicles making up more than 40% of its U.S. sales by 2030. The company, whose brands include Peugeot, Fiat, Opel and U.S. best-sellers Jeep and Ram, earlier this year announced it would invest more than 30 billion euros through 2025 on electrifying its vehicle lineup. Stellantis has said it would build three battery plants in Europe and two in North America, including at least one in the United States. Intesa Sanpaolo analyst Monica Bosio said the deal was positive, and a further step ahead in Stellantis' electrification process. It comes weeks after Stellantis and its partner TotalEnergies agreed to open up their battery cell joint venture ACC to Daimler, to expand their European sourcing of battery cells. Stellantis is also targeting more than 70% of sales in Europe to be of low-emission vehicles by 2030, and aims to make the total cost of owning an EV equal to that of a gasoline-powered model by 2026. Related video: Green Plants/Manufacturing Alfa Romeo Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Jeep Maserati RAM Citroen Lancia Opel Peugeot Vauxhall Electric Hybrid EV batteries LG