Maserati Karif Reviews

Despite only being formally announced six months ago, Maserati’s upcoming ‘baby’ sedan, the Ghibli, will reportedly be revealed as early as April’s 2013 Shanghai Auto Show.

Maserati will launch a new sports car in 2015 to challenge the likes of the Jaguar F-Type and Porsche 911; a car that could end up reviving the GranSport name. Unfortunately, apart from its 2015 launch, few details are known about it. A previous report suggested it will feature a mid-engine layout, possibly using a stretched version of the platform developed for the upcoming Alfa Romeo 4C, which, incidentally, will be produced in one of Maserati’s plants. Autocar is now reporting that the new Maserati sports car will offer the choice of V-6 and V-8 powerplants. Those engines are the same units produced by Ferrari for Maserati’s other models. In the latest 2014 Maserati Quattroporte, the V-6, a twin-turbocharged and direct-injected 3.0-liter mill, produces 410 horsepower, while the V-8 displaces 3.8-liters and develops 530 horsepower, also with the aid of turbocharging and direct-injection technologies. It’s likely that the new sports car will offer slightly higher outputs, reportedly up to 450 horsepower in V-6 trim and 550 horsepower with the V-8. It’s claimed that all-wheel drive may also be offered as an option to help boost the car’s popularity. An official document showed that the new sports car won’t be the flagship of the Maserati range. That role will remain with the GranTurismo, whose successor will also be launched in 2015. This means that we could see the new sports car launch with a pricetag of around $100k, which should make it competitive with its aforementioned rivals. With its Ferrari engine, mid-engine layout and expected $100k pricetag, the new Maserati sports car is starting to sound like a cut-priced 458 Italia. www.motorauthority.com  

One of the most striking cars of next year, the 2014 Maserati Quattroporte, recently made its online debut, but at the time Maserati only gave us a handful of photos to lust over. Now, finally, the automaker has released a wave of new photos for the sixth-generation Quattroporte, providing us with the opportunity to examine virtually every detail of the car.Competing in the full-size luxury sedan segment, the Maserati Quattroporte faces strong competition from the likes of the Mercedes-Benz S Class, which will also be all-new for 2014, as well as the recently updated BMW 7-Series and Lexus LS.Apart from its beautiful Italian styling, the Quattroporte also benefits from having its engines designed and built by Ferrari. We say engines, as the 2014 Quattroporte will for the first time offer more than one engine option.Two engine options have already been announced, a V-6 and a V-8, and it’s almost certain a V-6 diesel will be offered in select markets. Another first for the Quattroporte will be the option of all-wheel drive on the V-6 model, which should prove popular across the snow belt states.The most powerful of the engines is the V-8, which benefits from direct fuel injection and a twin-turbocharging system. It’s rated at 390 kilowatts and 650 newton-meters of torque (709 newton-meter with Overboost) and will rocket the big sedan from 0-100km/h in 7.6 seconds and see it reach a supercar-like top speed of 307km/h.In addition to being a better performer than the last Quattroporte, which came exclusively with a V-8, the new model is also bigger, lighter and more fuel efficient. Maserati claims the Quattroporte V-8 has lowered both its fuel consumption and emissions by 20 percent compared to the previous car.The V-6, which is also twin-turbocharged, is rated at 302 kilowatts and 510 newton-meters of torque, and is also more capable than the old V-8 model. It needs just 7.9 seconds for the 0-100km/h sprint and can reach a top speed of 285km/h.Underpinning the 2014 Quattroporte is a brand new platform composed mostly of steel, though with some aluminium to help save weight. The Quattroporte is not exactly light, weighing in at close to 1905 kg, though it should handle decently thanks to its ideal 50:50 weight distribution as well as double-wishbone front suspension and a state-of-the-art five-link rear suspension.The trunk space comes in at a generous 530 litres and the wheels measure between 483 and 533 mm in diameter. Most of the extra size comes in the rear, where occupants in the back will find an additional 102 mm of legroom.Please check out our gallery of the 2014 Maserati Quattroporte.Traditional hand crafted detailing continues in the Quattroporte’s cabin, now more spacious and featuring both four and five-seat layouts. Cabin luxury leaps forward technically too, with features like the Maserati Touch Control screen, adjustable pedals, a backup camera, optional 15-speaker Bowers & Wilkins audio system, and WiFi and smartphone connectivity.In terms of safety, the 2014 Quattroporte still lags many of its rivals, though it still offers a high level of safety. In addition to six standard airbags, the car also gets electronic stability control, ABS brakes and hill-hold assist, active cruise control, the aforementioned backup camera, active headrests and seatbelt pre-tensioners.The brakes are from Brembo and feature six-piston fixed calipers up front and ventilated and cross-drilled discs all around. On the V-8 model, the discs measure 380 mm in diameter and on the V-6 model they are 350 mm across.Stay tuned for live photos of the 2014 Maserati Quattroporte fresh from its debut next month at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show.www.motorauthority.com 

The new Quattroporte will make its world debut at the North American International Automobile Show (NAIAS) in Detroit on 14 January 2013 before arriving in Australia in the third quarter of 2013, when local specifications and prices will be announced. The all-new Quattroporte heralds the start of a series of new models from the Italian car maker. The new models include a new medium size performance saloon and a performance SUV which, combined with the GranTurismo, GranCabrio and the new Quattroporte will possibly spike Maserati global sales. The new Quattroporte is a high-performance sports luxury sedan that reinterprets the design features of classic Maseratis in a contemporary design language. Next generation Maserati engines, to be used in all models are more powerful than ever, more exciting to drive than ever and also more eco-friendly.  

Crushing car sales in Europe are no barrier to Maserati, which this year opens a new $1.5 billion factory and shoots its three new models straight at the heart of Porsche.  To Maserati Australia boss Glen Sealey, the new Quattroporte - announced this week - and the mid-size Ghibli and SUV Levante, represent a new dimension for the 98-year old car maker.  "Everything, everything, about the new Quattroporte is new," he says. "We are forecasting up to 1500 sales a year in Australia by 2015/16 - that's enormous growth but it still leaves us as an exclusive marque.'' Maserati in Australia sold 140 cars last year. Mr Sealey says the new Quattroporte - here in September 2013 - moves more upmarket, while the mid-size Ghibli is expected in Australia early 2014 and then, in 2015, the Levante SUV. "If you look at Porsche's line-up, then that's a good example of how Maserati is going to market its models,'' he says. The Quattroporte will come first with a high-performance V8 engine that in price and performance would compete around the level of the Porsche Panamera and Panamera Turbo. "Like the Panamera, we will have a V6 petrol and a diesel.'' He says that while rumours of the Ghibli being a car to take on the BMW 5-Series, the new Maserati is more upmarket. "It will be a performance saloon.There will not be a Ghibli model like the (entry-level) BMW 520i. All will be upmarket models," he says. The Ghibli will be powered by a V6 petrol and a diesel and, like the new Quattroporte, drive the rear wheels through a Maserati-spec ZF eight-speed automatic transmission. Maserati has no V6 or diesel on its shelves but Mr Sealey insists these engines will be made by the company - and not sourced from elsewhere - by he time the models are ready for production. "Maserati will not have an outside engine in its cars - it doesn't expect it and the customers certainly don't expect it. So that means Maserati is making its V6 petrol and a diesel.'' Pricing for the new Quattroporte is expected to be similar to the existing model. The Quattroporte - which is bigger than the current model and sits on a new platform - and the Ghibli will be built in Maserati's new factory that was previously owned by Bertone. The factory cost $1.5 billion to buy and refit. "What other company in Europe is doing that?'' asks Mr Sealey. "That's an indication of the confidence that Maserati has in its future.'' Maserati in Italy goes further. Its CEO, Harald Webster, says it is claiming it is standing "at the edge of an unparalleled strategic and industrial growth that will see our presence in the world rise to 50,000 units a year by 2015.''  

The Italian brand is forecasting an unprecedented ten-fold increase in local deliveries in just three years. The prediction comes as Maserati confirms Levante as the name for its upcoming SUV, previously displayed at motor shows as the Kubang. It comes from via Emilia Levante, a street in Bologna where the Maserati brothers first dreamed of their car company. It has also confirmed the continuation of the Quattroporte name and position, but announces the decision to build a new four-door prestige sedan that renews the Ghibli name used in the past. "We're looking for a massive increase in volume. Over the next three years we see massive growth," the head of Maserati in Australia, Neville Crichton, reveals exclusively to Carsguide. "There is a new SUV, a new Quattroporte, and the new E Series. That will grow probably mean ten-fold growth over three years." Maserati used the Paris show to unveil its latest hotrod, the GranCabrio MC, but all the talk is about future growth as the company predicts a volume increase to 15,000 cars by the end of 2015. "Our target is we're going after Mercedes customers and BMW customers," says Crichton. "We'll have much better cars. It's going to compete seriously with Mercedes. Our competition will clearly be mainstream competition, Mercedes and BMW. We're not going after Bentley, we sell double Bentley now. We're not going after Aston, we sell treble Aston now." The Ghibli is set to debut in 2013 and the Levante will arrive in 2014 as part of the company's centenary celebrations. The Ghibli name was first used by Maserati on a two-door GT in 1967, then returned on another two-door in 1992. Crichton dismisses fears about Maserati's quality and also confirms a major dealer development in Australia. "We're not having problem . We have no problems with warranty now with Maserati. Nothing," he says. "The earlier cars, with the older transmissions, they're gone. They're history. The new cars have an eight-speed transmission. "On the dealer side, we'll be putting an additional dealership into Sydney, on the north shore, and an additional dealership at Brighton in Melbourne. We've just appointed a new dealer in adelaide. Perth and Brisbane can only accommodate a single dealer and I think they're doing a good job for us."  

It’s not the new GranSport we’d been hoping for, but it’s a lustworthy addition to the Maserati line-up.Maserati says the newcomer is inspired by the success of the GranTurismo MC Stradale coupé, but is a four-seater where the Stradale takes just two.Reports suggest it will be powered by the Stradale’s 331kW/510Nm 4.7-litre V8 engine, but with a six-speed ZF automatic transmission instead of the Stradale’s six-speed dual-clutch.The GranCabrio MC gets a stretched profile compared to the standard GranCabrio thanks to a 48mm increase in length, and also carries the Stradale’s substantial boot-lid spoiler – which can be optioned in a naked carbon-fibre finish rather than the body colour.The GranCabrio MC has not yet been confirmed for Australia, but if it arrives you can expect a premium over the current Grancabrio Sport, which starts at $328,000 and adds another $10,000 for the Sport version. The Stradale’s price tag, by comparison, is $364,900. 

Despite Europe's sagging car market and Italy's melting economy, Maserati says its mid-size prestige sedan - now named Ghibli - and the new SUV will take its annual sales to 50,000 units by 2015. Its optimism is clipped by the 6159 cars it sold globally in 2011 - 140 of those in Australia. Maserati says the Ghibli - once dubbed the baby Quattroporte and a rival for the Mercedes E-Class and BMW 5-Series - will start production next year and the Levante SUV in the company's centennial year, 2014. The Levante, once known as the Kubang concept and now named after the street in which the five Maserati brothers started business in 1914, is poised to be a Porsche Cayenne rival. The new Ghibli marks the third time that Maserati has used the name. It was first launched as a two-door luxury coupe in 1967 and then revisited in 1992 before ending in 1997. The Quattroporte will next year mark its 50th anniversary with an all-new, sixth-generation model with a more aggressive stance, a more defined boot line and a more spacious interior with an accent on better placement of controls. It was first sold in 1963 as the first generation Maserati four-door - quattroporte translates literally as four door - and remained in production until 1969. The second generation started in 1974 and replaced by the third generation in 1979, then the fourth generation arrived in 1994 and the fifth incarnation in 2004. The Quattroporte is Maserati's best-selling car of all time.  

"Enjoy the sound of a real piece of Trident history and listen to all its power," is all Maserati will say for now. But is it an existing model or -- as some people are thinking -- an aural tease for a new one. The 'Cinqueporte' for which they've registered the name? The horridly-named Kubang? Either way, it's likely to carry one of the two Maserati engines: the 298kW 4.2-litre V8 or the 324kW 4.7-litre V8. We're thinking it's the latter.  

The confirmation of the car will see it as one of three supercars on the Lamborghini stand at the Show ahead of its on-sale date later this year. This will give the Australian public their first official look at this all-new entry-level supercar. The Gallardo LP550-2 Spyder is the only convertible rear-wheel-drive variant in the Italian supercar manufacturer’s line-up and has been inspired by Valentino Balboni, who was Lamborghini’s test driver for over 40 years. Making its second official appearance in Australia will be the Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4, which was also at the 2011 Australian International Motor Show. Since its introduction last year, the Aventador, with its jet-fighter inspired styling and lightweight 60-degree V12 engine capable of reaching 0-100km/hour in just 2.9 seconds, has achieved success globally. “Lamborghini is always a crowd favourite at the Australian International Motor Show and we are excited they will be displaying their newest and most popular models in Sydney, as well as debuting an all-new stand design,” said Russ Tyrie, Show Director. “At this stage, we can confirm that a third vehicle will feature on the Lamborghini stand; whilst we cannot give exact details just yet, it will be a show-stopping concept never before seen in Australia.” The 2012 Australian International Motor Show will be held at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour from October 19-28, 2012. For further information about the Show and to purchase tickets, visit www.motorshow.com.au, which is also compatible with all android and Apple mobile devices.