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No surprise here, the Maserati Alfieri has been delayed again

It happened again. Maserati has reportedly delay the gorgeous Alfieri coupe, the concept version of which made its debut way back at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show. According to a report by Autocar, the 2+2 sports car has been put on the back-burner and is now expected to arrive in 2020 – at the earliest. Giulio Pastore, general manager of Maserati Europe, told Autocar that the Maserati GranTurismo and GranCabrio are more vital to the automaker's lineup than the smaller Alfieri. Once Maserati replaces those aging models, it will then shift its focus onto the Alfieri, Pastore says. After the Alfieri concept was unveiled in 2014, reports emerged that it got the green light for production and that a production model would hit the road as soon as 2016. Then the delays started happening, with China's weakening car market as the culprit. More recently, a report claimed that Maserati would have the Alfieri on the road in 2018. With that now pushed back a few years, and the chance for more delays, the car might need a redesign before it goes into production. Related Video: Featured Gallery Maserati Alfieri Concept: Monterey 2014 View 9 Photos News Source: AutocarImage Credit: Copyright 2016 Drew Phillips / AOL Maserati Maserati Coupe Future Vehicles Luxury Performance maserati alfieri maserati grancabrio

Maserati Levante Trofeo gets a twin-turbo V8 transplant from Ferrari

With 590 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque, the 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine powering the all-wheel-drive Levante Trofeo boasts more power-per-liter than any engine previously installed in a Maserati. Not surprisingly, the engine and its 156-hp-per-liter output are the product of the men from Maranello. The Ferrari-built V8 pushes the Levante Trofeo to 60 miles per hour in 3.7 seconds and on to a top speed of 187 mph. Big power isn't all that makes the Trofeo special. Maserati says its top-shelf Levante boasts a 50:50 weight distribution and a Corsa (race) mode, which means this 'ute ought to be a mighty fine steer. Launch control makes the ludicrous acceleration a repeatable affair, should drivers so desire to rearrange the faces of their passengers at every green light. Maserati Integrated Vehicle Control is supposed to seamlessly prevent driver mistakes instead of correcting them after the fact, as a traditional stability control system would do. In what we assume must be a joke, there's also an Off-Road mode. The interior of the Levante Trefeo is swathed in what Maserati calls "Pieno Fiore" natural leather that is supposed to wear uniquely with age. It's offered in black, red, and tan, all with contrast stitching. The limited launch edition you see here has massive 22-inch matte-finish wheels, matte black paint, glossy carbon fiber exterior bits and matte carbon interior trim. It'll come with a plaque featuring the owner's name and a serial number, but Maserati is only saying a "small number" will be built without giving an exact figure. We'll have to wait for official pricing information and availability, but we're sure it won't come cheap. Related Video:

2018 Maserati GranTurismo First Drive | Better with age?

There are not many rational reasons for owning a Maserati GranTurismo (or GranCabrio convertible, for that matter). Even Maserati admits this. The short list occupies a single paragraph. Firstly, the GranTurismo is not German. Don't laugh. For some people, that's enough. Secondly, it has rear-seat space and comfort that remains the class benchmark. Thirdly, its cabin is the place where art and craftsmanship meet. There are far more rational reasons to not buy one. Let's tick them off, since we're in the mood. Firstly, it's already had its tenth birthday. It's not jeepers-fast by today's standards and neither is it remotely frugal. It drives the back wheels through a six-speed transmission, so it has 50 percent fewer gear ratios than AMG. Also, the only thing light about it is the weight of its driver-assistance systems. The 4.7-liter GranTurismo and its roofless GranCabrio sibling prospered in the plus-minus ledgers early in their careers, but they now operate outside them, in the sketchbooks of translated emotion. The Pininfarina-designed body is still stunning, a decade on, from any angle. It's had some tickles on the front and rear bumpers to make the grille more like the one on the Alfieri concept car, there are new headlights in the same space and the aerodynamics have been cleaned up so it can streak beyond 186 mph. When we say "streak" we really mean "creep" because it tops out at 187 mph. It has air vents behind the front wheels now, but they're not functional, and neither are the three signature vents high up on the front fenders. Maserati's aero guys tested German cars with working air vents and found their aero contributions were minimal. The air inlet on the MC's is, though, and so are the twin hot-air outlets that give the carbon-fiber hood its exaggerated contours. The big news from the Powertrain Department is that it's been busy eliminating stuff, rather than doing new things. It simplified its life by killing off the entry-level 4.2-liter V8, so the only engine in the entire range now is the Ferrari-built 4.7-liter, 90-degree V8. Don't think of bolting in the torque-rich twin-turbo V6 motor from the Ghibli, Quattroporte or Levante – or the twin-turbo V8, either – since neither are available. The V8 also comes in just the 453 horsepower version, regardless of whether you like the standard GranTurismo Sport or shell out another $17,745 for the $150,570 GranTurismo MC.