Maserati Granturismo News

Many so-called “all-new” models aren’t all that new. In fact, a sizeable chunk are reskinned versions of what came before, with fresh sheetmetal over the same general hard points.

Maserati has lopped the top off its powerhouse GranTurismo GT to create the new GranCabrio, a ‘Spyder’ version of the twin-turbo V6-powered ‘2+2’ supercar.

Maserati is ushering in a new philosophy for one of its most iconic models, with its GranTurismo sports car entering a new generation free of influence from a certain Maranello car brand.The 2023 Maserati GranTurismo, revealed this week in Modena, is buil

Maserati Australia is taking advantage of global stock shortages by placing its Fuoriserie individualisation program front and centre now that most of its cars are built to order.Speaking to media, Maserati Australia boss Grant Barling explained Fuoriseri

The new Maserati GranTurismo and GranCabrio have landed in Australia with two variants now available for each, dubbed Sport and Maserati Corse (MC).

In just 11 months a Maserati Quattroporte was hit eight times by different vehicles, causing more than $260,000 of damage. Each time the accident was the fault of the other driver, if you believe the owner, and led to payouts from six insurance companies.Police allege the prestige car is one of three at the centre of an insurance rort in which the owners claimed for damage done in staged bingles in Burwood - if they happened at all. Another Maserati, a Granturismo, and a Mercedes SLK were also used in the alleged scam, which made a total of 18 claims totalling more than $500,000 from 11 insurance companies over a similar 12-month period.NSW Police and insurance investigators joined forces in a six-month operation which resulted in the arrest of two men and a woman last week. "We believe the three are principals involved in the staging of these accidents which we will allege are fraudulent or never happened,'' Detective Inspector Ian Pryde said.The alleged scheme involves a driver running into one of the three cars, which is then towed to a smash repair business. A claim is then submitted to the company which insures the at-fault car. The drivers of the at-fault vehicles were also said to be involved in the scam.In each instance the repair work was allegedly carried out at B and T Collisions, Burwood, owned by Chris Kmet, one of the men charged. The three cars were also registered to him. Kmet was charged with 18 counts of fraud and was bailed to appear at court on January 14. A 51-year-old woman and a 44-year-old man were also arrested. Both were granted conditional bail to appear at Burwood Local Court later this month."The investigation is still ongonig and there may be further arrests,'' Insp Pryde said yesterday. "It's a fairly complex investigation and we are being assisted by the individual companies affected by the alleged fraud.''Industry sources say staged or non-existent accidents are costing insurance companies millions of dollars, driving up the policies of innocent motorists. "It is organised crime and being carried out every day in Sydney,'' a source said. "This is just one case which has possibly been uncovered."The NSW Government last month announced a parliamentary inquiry into the relationship between vehicle repairers and insurance companies. Most of the terms of reference will centre around protecting consumers and a code of conduct in respect to the work carried out by panel beaters for the insurance companies."It's a start but really there needs to be an inquiry into the links between the industry and organised crime," the source said. "Ultimately it's the customer who is paying the price through increased premiums.''Read full story at dailytelegraph.com.au 

Demand for luxury cars has put Maserati on the curve of a wave that has swelled global orders to 22,500 cars, equivalent to four times its 2012 sales.Ghibli and a new Quattroporte are the catalysts but, without these models, it's not yet the case in Australia. Australia's upper large, $100,000-plus segment in which these new Maseratis will play is now up 12.8 per cent year-to-date - the only passenger-car segment aside from small cars to post a two-digit growth."We won't see Quattroporte - except for some of the very first order that are here before Christmas - in volume until the first quarter of 2014," says Maserati Australia general manager Glen Sealey."Ghibli will be here in the second quarter of next year." Mr Sealey says Australia is still waiting for the big wave because "we tend to be about 12 months behind Europe and the US in sales.""That's because we get new models some time after they're launched in Italy," he says. "The new Quattroporte has been in Europe for some months and the Ghibli is now on sale there."Mr Sealey says Maserati Australia is in a strong position despite not having stock. "We have the best year ever for GranTurismo but the problem is we are out of stock," he says. "We sell about 150 Maseratis a year in Australia and New Zealand with three models. The Quattroporte isn't available until the new model and GranCabrio stock is selling quickly."Mr Sealey says sales for Australia this year will be stable but he says 2014 - the marque's centenary - will be a record. "Ghibli will open up a new segment for us and new Quattroporte will rejuvenate the luxury car sector," he says. "The first few months of Ghibli stock has already been sold out. We are also holding strong orders for Quattroporte."It is in line with Maserati's plan to reach 50,000 sales a year by 2015, though the Mirafiori plant in Torino which will build the Levante SUV is yet to be finished." Mr Sealey expects Levante to add up to 50 per cent of Maserati's annual Australian sales. "It's a massive market segment," he says.Levante is expected in Australia by mid-2015. Maserati stated today that it is holding 17,000 orders for the Quattroporte and 7900 for Ghibli. It also has 5000 orders for the GranTurismo and GranCabrio. "Maserati is well on target to see sales for 2013 beating its best every year 9000 sales in 2008 and with such a full order book, that record is set to be broken again in 2014, when Maserati celebrates its 100th birthday," the company said in a statement."The demand for Maserati products worldwide is a spectacular vindication of the decision to invest 1.5 billion euros (about $2 billion) in the new range and a new state of the art factory to produce the Quattroporte and Ghibli so that the existing factory in Modena can concentrate on meeting the demand for Maserati sports cars."With yet another all-new Maserati model to come, the Maserati Levante, which will take the Italian car maker into the lucrative performance and luxury SUV market, Maserati is clearly on target to meet its goal of 50,000 sales worldwide by 2015."

Despite talk of a new Maserati sports car being in the works, the Italian brand’s flagship GranTurismo is here to stay and will be spawning a successor sometime in 2015. Not much is known about the new GranTurismo, though Maserati styling boss Lorenzo Ramaciotti has previously revealed that its size will be smaller than the current GranTurismo. This will mean that the four-seat layout of the current GranTurismo will shrink to a 2+2 arrangement, similar to that found in the Jaguar XK, allowing the new car to be more compact and dynamic. Edmunds, citing a company insider, is reporting that the new GranTurismo will also reveal a change in styling direction for the Maserati brand. A new GranTurismo GranCabrio convertible is also planned. Maserati’s new sports car, which is tipped to revive the GranSport name, will also be launched in 2015, though not until after the new GranTurismo is launched. The change in styling direction is a key step in Maserati’s overall plan to boost its sales from less than 7,000 units last year to as much as 50,000 within the next several years, as it will not only keep the lineup looking fresh going forward but also lay the groundwork for the launch of even more models by offering a more versatile design than Maserati’s current theme. www.motorauthority.com  

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  

Then we head north in a Holden Cruze and Mitsubishi ASX, looking to see how far this pair can go on a single take of fuel.  Ed Ordynski is in the ASX and I have the Cruze, holding  the trip computer just over 6 litres/100km as Ordynski - expert driver - is below 5 litres/100km.The first stop is just outside Port Pirie after 250 kilometres and the figures are 5.3 and 4.2, as we battle wind and rain.  A lunch stop in Waikerie - about 530km into the journey - and then a turn south to follow the Murray both cars maintain sub-6 readings - the ASX in the region of 4.5 and the Cruze 5.5 litres per 100km as we pass the 700km mark near Murray Bridge.The weather worsens as we follow the river south through 730km at Wellington."The ASX was more adversely affected by that, it was 0.3 litres/100km worse off - we did what you need to do into a headwind and that was reduce the speed a little," Ordynski says.Running down through the southern foothills to complete our 1000km journey we return the tanks to full. There are still 15 litres in the Mitsubishi's 60-litre tank, but my Cruze is almost on fumes.  But after thirteen hours of "real-world" driving we have hit our 1000-kilometre target."I would drive like that with people on board and not be embarrassed," Ordynski says.  "You win on fuel use and emissions as well, with 2kg of CO2 for every litre of fuel, you win on maintenance and longevity of the vehicle by driving it kindly as well, it's hard to see a downside."Ed Ordynski’s Fuel TipsLevel 1. Overall factors1. Plan when you need to use your car to avoid unnecessary journeys.2. Plan your journey to avoid peak hour and congested roads.3. Measure your fuel consumption and take pride in reducing it.4. Choose an energy efficient vehicle.Level 2. Anyone can try1. Concentrate on driving smoothly and anticipate traffic flow to conserve momentum.2. Keep tyre pressures at maximum recommended.3. Avoid any excess weight in the vehicle and remove accessories which affect the aerodynamics (e.g. roof racks).4. Choose a manual transmission and learn to drive it properly for optimum fuel efficiency.Level 3. Hard-core methods1. Avoid use of airconditioning and keep windows closed.2. Do not use cruise control but do focus on keeping a constant speed and conserving momentum.3. Drive at low speed - most cars are at their most efficient at around 75km/h in top gear.4. Drive off as soon as the engine is started, especially from a cold start.GREEN STARSMake-model weight price combined fuel con1. Mitsubishi -MiEV 980kg $leased 02. Toyota Prius 1370kg $39,990 3.93. Smart Fortwo 750kg $19,9904.44. Honda Insight 1205kg $29,9904.65. Suzuki Alto 880kg $11,790 4.8GREEN DUDS1. Ferrari 599 1690kg $677,250 21.32. Ferrari 612 1849kg $698,000 20.73. Nissan Patrol 4.8 2440kg $75,690 17.24. Maserati GT S Coupe 1880kg $345,900 16.65. Mercedes ML 500 2148kg $132,400 16.5