Maserati Quattroporte 2016 News

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

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 

Ferrari and Maserati will re-enter Adelaide's new car market early next year on the back of a boom in luxury car sales across the country. Solitaire Automotive Group will unveil a new state-of-the-art Maserati showroom in the first quarter of next year after winning exclusive dealership rights for the Trident brand, while Adelaide Motors is finalising designs for its Ferrari showroom which is due to open on Hindley St soon after.The Fiat stablemates have been absent from Adelaide's new car market since November 2011, when previous dealer Prestige Formula was downgraded. Strict guidelines from their Italian headquarters have meant a lengthy design process for the new boutique showrooms.Solitaire Maserati will be located at the former Lexus site at Parkside - part of a plan to deliver an eightfold increase in SA sales by 2016. Solitaire managing director David Smoker said Maserati was a good fit with the dealer's other luxury brands which included Aston Martin, Bentley, Jaguar and Land Rover.'We've had a fair bit of success with our luxury sports brands - the people of Adelaide have an appreciation for luxury sports cars," he said. Sales of supercars in Australia are up 72 per cent since the lows of the global financial crisis with enthusiasts snapping up more than 190 exotic cars per month this year.In the first 10 months of this year a total of 85 new cars were sold across the Aston Martin, Bentley, Ferrari, Lotus, Maserati, McLaren and Porsche brands in South Australia - up 12 per cent from last year. Maserati's ambitious three-year plan to reach annual Australian sales of 1350 vehicles will be led by two new four door models - the Quattroporte and the Ghibli which will both be on show at the new Solitaire showroom.The sedans will be followed by the 2015 launch of the Levante, a high performance SUV. However, according to Ferrari Australasia chief executive Herbert Appleroth, the prancing horse is taking a slightly different approach, keeping a close eye on volumes as it seeks greater exclusivity.'While we have reduced our global production down from 7500 cars to 7000 in 2013, the Australasian deliveries will be similar in 2013 as compared to 2012," he said. 'We expect South Australia to see high levels of growth as we have not been represented in Adelaide for a number of years." Maserati owner Pam Russo expects the new four-door range to strike a chord with Adelaide buyers.I'm a believer that everyone deserves a little luxury and in my family's case it's a Maserati," she said. 

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."

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.