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Maserati's sub-Quattroporte sedan spotted testing

The spy photogs at CarPix have caught the upcoming small sedan from Maserati to slot under the Quattroporte, rumored to be dubbed Levante, out testing. The spy shots frankly don't tell us much more than that, since the mule is wrapped in an ill-fitting Quattroporte body giving away little more than a shorter wheelbase and smaller brakes.
The Levante, if that's what it's called, will be Maserati's entry into the luxury mid-sized sedan segment to compete with the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Audi A6 and BMW 5 Series. Said to arrive late next year, it will have its luxury ducks in a row, supposedly offering a twin-turbo V6, a V8 and a 300-horsepower diesel with 500 pound-feet of torque.
Questions about engines and their provenance remain; the next Quattroporte is getting a Ferrari-sourced supercharged V6 and turbocharged V8, but it is wondered if the Levante's V6 might come from the other side of the Fiat stable, namely Chrysler. No matter where the motors come from, though, they'll be run through an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission.

Slow Chinese market delays Maserati and Alfa Romeo models

We already told you that Alfa Romeo was delaying the Giulia sedan and an unnamed CUV, but now things are getting worse. According to Bloomberg, Maserati has delayed the Alfieri sports car. And it's all China's fault. The faltering Chinese domestic market, which is experiencing its slowest period of growth in nearly three decades, is forcing Fiat Chrysler to rethink its plans for its Italian models, Bloomberg reports. Rather than going for models that would likely be popular in China, including the Alfa CUV and a larger sedan, the company will shift its focus and bring out updated MiTo and Giulietta hatchbacks, both of which would play better in Europe, an unnamed source within FCA told Bloomberg. This news is notable because it shows that FCA boss Sergio Marchionne's ambitious product transformation is not progressing as smoothly as planned. In the MiTo's case, the company is willing to go back on its original strategy. The subcompact hatch wasn't supposed to survive beyond 2016, but Bloomberg is reporting an update is due by the middle of next year. As for Maserati, well, there's not much to say. The Alfieri was supposed to go on sale next year, and now it's not. There's no word on how (or even if) Maserati's priorities will shift to another vehicle, or if this is simply a matter of money being distributed away from one of FCA's brands and toward another. Related Video: News Source: BloombergImage Credit: Andy Wong / AP Alfa Romeo Maserati Sergio Marchionne FCA alfa romeo giulia alfa romeo mito alfa romeo giulietta maserati alfieri

Marchionne says no offers are on the table for Fiat Chrysler

MONZA, Italy (Reuters) - Fiat Chrysler (FCA) has not received any offer for the company nor is the world's seventh-largest carmaker working on any "big deal", Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne said on Saturday. Speaking on the sidelines of the Italian Formula One Grand Prix, Marchionne said the focus remained on executing the company's business plan to 2018. Asked whether FCA had been approached by someone or whether there was an offer on the table, he simply said: "No." The company's share price jumped to record highs last month after reports of interest for the group or some of its brands from China. China's Great Wall Motor Co Ltd openly said it was interested in FCA, but had not held talks or signed a deal with executives at the Italian-American automaker. The stock move was also helped by expectations that the company might separate from some of its units. Marchionne reiterated on Saturday that FCA was working on a plan to "purify" its portfolio and that units, such as the components businesses, would be separated from the group. He hopes to complete that process by the end of 2018. "There are activities within the group that do not belong to a car manufacturer, for example the components businesses. The group needs to be cleared of those things," he told journalists. Asked whether an announcement could come this year, Marchionne said it was up to the board to decide and that it would next meet at the end of September. He said the time was not right for a spin-off of luxury brand Maserati and premium Alfa Romeo and the two brands needed to become self-sustainable entities first and "have the muscle to stand on their feet, make sufficient cash". "The way we see it now, it's almost impossible, if not impossible, to see a spin-off of Alfa Romeo/Maserati, these are two entities that are immature and in a development phase," he said. "It's the wrong moment, we are not in a condition to do it." He said the concept of separating the two brands from FCA's mass market business made sense and did not rule out this happening in future, but not under his tenure, which lasts until April 2019. "If there is an opportunity in future, it would certainly happen after I'm gone. It won't happen while Marchionne is around," he said.