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Check out the Maserati Levante's not-finished interior

Maserati continues to develop the Levante luxury crossover years after previewing it as the Kubang concept, but new spy shots give us the best look yet at the interior of this long-awaited CUV. Our spies think we could finally see the production version as soon as the Geneva Motor Show in March. Look past the giant computer screen, keyboard, and rat's nest of wires to get an idea of what Maserati has in store for the Levante's wealthy occupants. The company fits the luxury crossover with thickly bolstered leather seats to hold front passengers tight, and the driver grips a three-spoke steering wheel. A piece of cloth partially covers the infotainment system, but its position echoes the one on the Ghibli. A wood-trimmed center console features several buttons, including a large control dial. This Levante's exterior camouflage and cladding hide a lot, but it's clear that the design sticks fairly close to last year's patent drawings. The big hump on the roof also can't hide the coupe-like arch that leads to the rear hatch. Maserati's crossover uses a tweaked version of the platform from the Ghibli and Quattroporte and likely shares their turbocharged V6 and V8 engines, too. The Italian company has high hopes that the Levante's mix of luxury and performance appeals to customers in the booming CUV segment because a success could turn around the brand's flagging sales. However, the vehicle needs to compete in a rapidly crowding market of high-priced entries that would soon include models like the Bentley Benayga, Lamborghini Urus, and Aston Martin DBX. Related Video:

Next-generation Maserati Gran Turismo, Gran Cabrio confirmed

The Maserati Gran Turismo will return for a second generation after all. The Italian automaker confirmed the on-again, off-again grand tourer as it presented its financial results to investors.  The Gran Turismo coupe and its convertible offshoot, the Gran Cabrio, were both included in the five-year plan parent company Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) presented in 2014. Their future began looking grim when they disappeared from the company's road map, according to Motor Authority. We know Maserati is busily working on another, more hardcore sports car inspired by the Alfieri concept, and odds are insiders worried releasing two similar models in the same price bracket would confuse buyers and torpedo both nameplates. The latest from Maserati's Modena, Italy, headquarters is that development of the next Gran Turismo is back on track. Additional details about the car remain under wraps, but Maserati's presentation noted every car it releases beginning in 2020 will be offered with a battery-electric powertrain. The current, 12-year old Gran Turismo (pictured) has been V8-only for its entire career, and we wouldn't be surprised to see the eight-cylinder return as an alternative powertrain for buyers who don't want an EV. Maserati has previously made it clear that it won't commit to an all-electric future. Maserati's product master plan pegs the next Gran Turismo's debut date at some point in 2021. Keep in mind the company isn't exactly known for timeliness. Even if we see the model during 2021, it's unlikely to appear in American showrooms until 2022 at the earliest. The Gran Cabrio will arrive the following year, so it will likely launch as a 2023 model. That means the current Gran Turismo and Gran Cabrio will likely remain in the firm's lineup for two or three additional years. The presentation reaffirms Maserati's commitment to finally becoming a full-line automaker. In 2020, it will give the Levante, the Ghibli, and the Quattroporte a mid-cycle refresh, and it will release the aforementioned production version of the Alfieri concept introduced way back in 2014. Then 2021 will bring a smaller SUV, and a convertible variant of the yet-unnamed Alfieri-inspired model. Finally, the Quattroporte and the Levante will be replaced in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Maserati will need to keep the Gran Turismo and the Alfieri in two distinctly separate segments.

1967 Maserati Ghibli puts the grand in grand tourer

Motor Tend technical director Frank Markus owns a 1967 Maserati Ghibli, bought back in the early 2000s when "they could be had for Camry money" - now Hagerty values them anywhere from $63,000 to $107,000. The grand tourer designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro outsold the more powerful and less expensive Ferrari 365 Daytona, and the more powerful and more expensive Lamborghini Miura.
Carlos Lago, host of the magazine's Ignition video series, figures it's because of the Ghibli's long-haul comfort and the tractability of its 4.7-liter V8 with 330-horsepower and 330 pound-feet accessed with a five-speed manual, even though he cites the powertrain and suspension as being behind the times.
There's no arguing about the Ghibli's sound, though. You can get several ears-full of it, as well as Lagos' and Markus' thoughts on the car, in the video above.