Maserati Quattroporte 2015 News

Ford has recalled 8878 examples of its Kuga mid-size SUV over a potential fire risk.

Last year the vehicle market notched up a record with 1,136,227 sales, busting the previous zenith by about 24,000 and confirming that in Australia, one million-plus is the norm.Figures for November, released last week, show sales have already passed the million mark, and when the final tally emerges in early January the industry will congratulate itself on another bumper year.In reality, it has spent most of 2014 in reverse and it would take a freak December to even approach last year's total.If the trend holds, then the overall decline will be about 2 per cent - equivalent to 500 fewer buyers a week. But it's a mixed picture for the 50 or so brands, with the gap between winners and losers larger than ever.With one or two exceptions, the winners by a substantial margin are luxury brands. Their share of the market now approaches 9 per cent, up from 7.7 per cent last year, and it's reflected in some impressive numbers.The German luxury trio dominates but Australia bucks the trend by favouring Mercedes-Benz ahead of BMW and Audi.With its small car range - the A, B, CLA and GLA - flying out of showrooms, the three-pointed star is stretching its lead over BMW and rubs it in by selling more of its expensive performance variants as well.Its bestseller, the C-Class, has been available for only a few months but will finish the year as the third most popular mid-size car at any price - behind only the Toyota Camry and Mazda6.Audi's ambition is to overtake its German peers and become No 1 here, replicating its position in Europe and China. After slowing in 2012, its growth spurt has resumed and it's catching BMW on the strength of its award-winning A3 small car.Some of the second-tier luxury brands are powering ahead even faster. Thanks to its new-generation Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, demand for the British SUV specialist is up 22 per cent. It will finish as the fourth most popular luxury marque.Ironically, SUV demand is also powering Porsche. It cannot get enough of its second SUV, the Macan, and waiting times are stretching the patience of buyers. Without the Macan, Porsche was on track for a record. With it, sales are up almost 50 per cent. When Maserati adds an SUV, the Levante, in 2016 it can expect to get a comparable boost.Super-large, super-expensive SUVs are what the elite badges lack but they are all working on one. Even so, Maserati's push for volume is yielding results. The new-generation large sedans Ghibli and Quattroporte have almost tripled sales this year.Even among the luxury brands there are losers. Volvo lacks the deep pockets of the Germans and is struggling to keep its product pipeline full. Its dealers will doubtless breathe easier when the overdue replacement for its XC90 SUV arrives in the second quarter next year, with sales down 7 per cent in 2014.Lexus is another that has waited too long for fresh product and its NX mid-size SUV arrives too late to prevent it treading water.Among mainstream brands, losers are much easier to find than winners. Over-optimism and the pressure to grow meant many ended 2013 carrying too much stock, with Nissan the standout - but far from sole - example.The traditional solution to this problem, and one by no means limited to mainstream brands, is for the distributor and/or dealers to register cars themselves.It's a way of meeting sales targets but it simply saves up trouble, not the least of which is an excess of ageing 'demonstrator' models that sooner or later have to actually be sold. When they are, the sales have already been counted.Combine that with an assault on their traditional territory by the luxury brands and everyone from Toyota to Honda, Holden to Ford, has seen their numbers go south.But the biggest losers in 2014? Cheap Chinese brands, with Chery sales down 35 per cent and Great Wall almost 60 per cent.

The New York motor show in April will see the announcement of which vehicle has won the 2014 World COTY, and there looks to be a tough -- and very varied -- field of finalists.Last year's winner was the Volkswagen Golf, which also took awards in pretty well every country on the globe. But this year it could be anything from the little electric BMW i3 to the offroading Jeep Cherokee and even the Citroen C4 peoplemover, judging by the shortlist.A panel of 69 motoring experts from around the world -- including Carsguide's Paul Gover and National Motoring Editor Joshua Dowling -- will choose the winner from: Audi A3, BMW 4 Series, BMW i3, Cadillac CTS, Citroen C4 Picasso, Ford Fusion/Mondeo, Infiniti Q50, Jeep Cherokee, Lexus IS, Mazda3, Peugeot 308 and Skoda Octavia.The 10 finalists for the 2014 World Luxury Car are the Bentley Flying Spur, BMW X5, Cadillac ELR, Cadillac Escalade, Maserati Ghibli, Maserati Quattroporte, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Porsche Macan, Range Rover Sport and Rolls-Royce Wraith.Due to a tie, there are 11 finalists for the 2014 World Performance Car: Alfa Romeo 4C, Audi RS 6 Avant, BMW M6 Gran Coupe, Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, Ferrari 458 Speciale, Ford Fiesta ST, Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Roadster, Mercedes-Benz A/CLA45 AMG, Porsche 911 GT3, Porsche 911 Turbo and Volkswagen Golf GTI.A separate panel of five 'green' experts will choose the 2014 World Green Car from Audi A3 Sportback e-tron (+ Audi e-gas), BMW i3, Honda Accord Hybrid, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and Volkswagen XL1.Similarly, a panel of five design experts will decide on the 2014 World Car Design of the Year, from among: BMW i3, Cadillac CTS, Citroen C4 Picasso, Mazda3, Lexus IS, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Volkswagen XL1.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Earlier this year we told you Maserati was teaming up with fellow Italian luxury label Ermenegildo Zegna to help promote the design and manufacturing excellence of their homeland. The companies’ first combined product is to be a Maserati Quattroporte featuring materials and colours inspired by Zegna’s fine suits. It won’t go on sale until next year but we’ll get a taste of the car at next week’s 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show in the form of the Maserati Quattroporte Ermenegildo Zegna Limited Edition concept car. The car is the result of a close collaboration between the two companies and features a unique look in colour scheme, materials and finish. The exterior features a special effect paint finish whose ultra-fine aluminium pigments give the car a metallic lustre. A glossy black primer amplifies the effect and helps create a sense of depth. Inside is where the real Zegna touches come into play. Components such as the seats, door panels and roof lining are finished in genuine soft leather, in addition to a velvet-smooth, bright fabric similar to what Zegna uses in its clothing line. Colours such as Moka and Greige are used to add warmth and a sense of tradition. As mentioned, the production Maserati Quattroporte Ermenegildo Zegna Limited Edition will go on sale next year. By 2015, Maserati will start offering Zegna-inspired trim across its range, and in 2016 the automaker will launch a new personalisation department to help capitalise on the growing demand for tailor-made products. www.motorauthority.com  

   

   

Bouncing back from the GFC and poised to turn downward again as a surging Australian dollar threatens to push up interest rates, Australia has become a nation of widening gaps between the haves and have nots. Witness the strength of the luxury car market. In Maserati's case, Australia has recorded sales increases of almost double previous years. Spokesman for Australian importers, Ateco Automotive, Edward Rowe, says the GranTurismo coupe models doubled sales in 2011 year-to-date compared with the same period in 2010. "The Quattroporte is up 90 per cent in the same period and order books are getting longer,'' he says. "The currency rate, which favours importers, means we have added a lot more equipment to the models to make them more attractive. The GranCabrio, for example, has more luxury features and equipment than before.'' Australians who can afford to consider a Maserati are also more likely to buy a sports derivative rather than the more luxurious models. The launch of the GranCabrio Sport - the more sporty version of the existing convertible - is set down for December in Australia with a sub-$350,000 price tag. "We expect to sell in 2011 calendar year 40 Quattroportes, 90 GranTurismos and 35 GranCabrios - not including the Sport model which, as is expected, will be registered in the 2012 year,'' he says. "But we are aware of the potential for the global economy - and that of Australia - to tighten in 2012 so our estimates for these models will be similar next year.'' Buyers for the GranCabrio Sport are expected to come from BMW 6-Series and Mercedes-Benz coupe models. "It's an exclusive market and Maserati is doing well because of its exclusivity and especially the breadth of the customisation available on the cars.''

Fresh from hinting at a new SUV to take on Porsche's Cayenne, Maserati quietly let it slip this week that it is finalising details of its 5-Series/A6/E-Class rival.  The saloon, effectively a downsized Quattroporte, may be ready for sale in Europe by late 2013. It will be joined on the showroom by the new Quattroporte which, it has been suggested to Carsguide in Modena this week, will be slightly bigger to emphasis more cabin room. The mid-size car will use a tweaked version of the 4.2-litre V8 and the option of the 4.7-litre V8. It will have conventional drivetrain with a six-speed ZF automatic and double wishbone suspension at all corners. The new Quattroporte will have only the 4.7-litre engine but in two power derivatives.  No further information is coming on the two cars. But it is understood the new SUV - a tall coupe-styled car with all-wheel drive - will use drivetrain components and probably the platform of the Jeep Grand Cherokee. The SUV will use Maserati engines and will not be available with a V12 from Ferrari as has been suggested. Even a diesel engine hasn't been discussed. The SUV is regarded as - finally - the production version of the Kubang concept car of 2003, designed by Giugiaro.  A Maserati spokesman says the new mid-size and the bigger saloon were still being formulated for final design and engine choices.

... in Sydney when Jaguar displays its new XJ Supersport and Maserati spotlights its Quattroporte GT S at the Australian International Motor Show (AIMS).The XJ Supersport, the quickest model in Jaguar’s XJ range, adds new competition to the luxury performance saloon category.  Jaguar’s all-new XJ Supersport combines luxury appointment with substantial power and critically acclaimed handling.The Supersport is powered by a 5.0-litre supercharged engine, producing 375kW of power, 625Nm of torque and a 0-100km/h time of 4.9 seconds.  Interior luxury comes by way of leather seats that are both heated and cooled, and a 1200W Bowers and Wilkins surround sound system."The all-new Jaguar XJ reinforces the strength of the new Jaguar in the Australian market,” said Jaguar Australia general manager Kevin Goult.  “With its spectacular looks and performance, this XJ competes with a much wider range of challengers than any previous XJ."The all-new XJ challenges the notion that large cars should be conservative or constrained, with a blistering 0-100km/h performance time of 4.9 seconds.  “The XJ is far from a compromise in performance and maintains very high levels of expected luxury,” Mr Goult said.Maserati’s Quattroporte GT S, the company’s flagship saloon, will be making its Sydney motor show debut. The Quattroporte GT S is powered by a 4.7-litre V8 engine which produces 323kW of power and 490Nm of Torque.“The Maserati Quattroporte established this much sought-after market sector and remains the benchmark,” Maserati Australia and New Zealand general manager Glen Sealey said.  “Key measures that set it apart from its rivals are exclusivity and heritage.“Maserati offers a unique heritage and, with its products limited to the Quattroporte, GranTurismo and GranCabrio, a name and badge that will only be found in this rarefied area of the car market.“The drivetrain and chassis ensure that the Quattroporte is more than capable of withstanding performance comparisons with sports cars, let alone other saloons.“The driving pleasure is accompanied by the rich baritone roar of its engine, while enveloping its occupants in the highest levels of comfort and luxury,” Mr Sealey said.The Australian International Motor Show will be held at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre in Darling Harbour. The show opens at 5pm on Friday, 15 October and runs until 6pm on Sunday, 24 October.

Slinging the bag around town said you were environmentally conscious, intelligently concerned for Mother Earth and so obviously eco-cool you cared not a whit that the bag’s shouty shade of green would never match anything you wore. Of course, it took only a nano-second – which seems a short yardstick of time, except when you’re measuring the viral spread of fads (and often the longevity of them) – before everybody else jumped on the bagwagon. Every shop of with even the slightest pretensions to … well, anything in the way of now-ness … had its own branded cloth bag. How environmentally sound all this was is open to question, since most of them were synthetic fabrics spun out of petrochemicals in third world villages where it’s of little concern if the water gets poisoned. But the continuing popularity of the bags, and the bagwagon, shows that everybody is putting the appearance of trying to be green Oddly, it has taken until now for Maserati – a name not normally associated with being slow – to join in. But when they do, they certainly take things to the next level. They’ve just announced their own initiative to save the planet, with a designer eco-bag produced in partnership with Italian fashion house Momaboma. And not only is it a reusable bag that replaces the plastic one – if there are any left in the world by now – but it has the double eco-barrel of also recycling rubbish. Well, not rubbish in our eyes. But car brochures from the Maserati archives that the company says would otherwise have been pulped. In the interests of international relations, we’ll just have to suspend disbelief about that claim. However it would be odd to pulp what was obviously a collection of rare archival material that would have collectors salivating onto their white gloves. Especially when a current model Maserati brochure is expecting to get $30 on eBay. For instance, we can see that one of the pages collaged into a the bag is a 3500GT brochures – an item cited in a story a couple of years ago as being part of an archival treasure, and which noted collector Philip Morrice says would be worth at least $100 in pristine condition. So we shouldn’t be surprised that the Maser bag is on the market for around $300. Perhaps that’s simply the price of saving the planet. Or perhaps it reflects the bag’s exclusivity, since only 150 of them have been made. Which means that you’ve got little chance of adding one to your accessory shelf. Never mind. We’re here to help by pointing the way to your own auto-exotica bag. Simply arm yourself with a pair of scissors and pot of glue, and print out some of the pages from our photo galleries… (may we suggest the Bugatti Bleu Centenaire or perhaps the Porsche 917) … your own eco-bag, and for a lot less than $300.