Maserati Rumored to be Readying a Compact SUV to Rival the Porsche Macan for 2016

Maserati Rumored to be Readying a Compact SUV to Rival the Porsche Macan for 2016

Fiat is determined to make Maserati a serious player in the luxury segment. This means expanding its range, which until now, is based on just two models and their variations, considerably in order to attract new customers.

Recently, company CEO Harald Wester said the Modena-based automaker wants to increase its annual sales nearly nine times (!), to 50,000 units, until the end of 2015.

The sixth-generation Quattroporte flagship luxury saloon that has already broken cover and will make its official debut at the 2013 NAIAS next month is just the first step. It will be followed late next year by the smaller Ghibli saloon to compete with models such as the BMW 5-Series and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

In 2014, the GranTurismo will be replaced by a sportier new model and one year later, the Trident brand will launch its first-ever SUV, the Jeep Grand Cherokee-based Levante that was previewed by the 2011 Kubang concept.

According to Car & Driver, though, Maserati plans to launch a second SUV just one year after its foray into the segment.

With the Levante clearly aiming for the Porsche Cayenne customers, the new and as of yet unnamed model, will be a compact premium crossover that will target the upcoming Macan and will bow in 2016.

C&D reports that Maserati will use Fiat’s LWB U.S. wide platform, which is used in the Dodge Dart, the Fiat Viaggio and the long-overdue Alfa Romeo Giulia saloon to underpin the compact crossover, although using a Jeep platform wouldn’t seem out of place, given the company’s expertise in SUVs.

Now, Alfa Romeo has been toying with the idea of launching its own crossover for nigh a decade now, having introduced the Kamal concept in 2003 and even tested a prototype in late 2009.

This is just thinking out loud but, since the Ghibli will also spawn an Alfa Romeo variant, wouldn’t the 2016 compact SUV be an ideal candidate if Alfa decides to green-light the project? After all,when (and if) it returns to the U.S. market, having an SUV in its line-up would be great for its sales and marketing departments…

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Maserati Officially Announces but Reveals Very Little About New GranCabrio MC

Maserati Officially Announces but Reveals Very Little About New GranCabrio MC

The release of the first photos of the new GranCabrio MC on Friday has been followed up by an official confirmation from Maserati - though, the Italian sports car maker is holding back most of the details until the Paris Motor Show.

What Maserati did reveal is that the GranTurismo MC Stradale inspired the creation of the new GranCabrio MC model with which it completes the open-top model's range.

We are also told that the MC is 48mm or 1.57 inches longer than the GranCabrio and GranCabrio Sport due to the new front and rear bumpers that are borrowed from the MC Stradale, which also loans its matte black alloy wheels, side skirts and boot lid spoiler.

Again, no word from Maserati on the mechanical upgrades but it's almost a given that the MC will use the same 4.7-litre V8 engine with 453Hp (460PS / 338kW) and 520Nm (383 lb-ft) of peak torque as the (2012MY) coupe.

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Scoop: 2015 Porsche Cayenne Facelift Pictured for the First Time

Scoop: 2015 Porsche Cayenne Facelift Pictured for the First Time

As it turns out, the Panamera is not the only Porsche model that's been on the market longer than the new 911 that's being prepped for a facelift. Shortly after Stuttgart made the 2014 Panamera official today, our spies sent these shots of a very lightly camouflaged Cayenne prototype with some mild cosmetic tweaks.

Much like the 2014 Panamera, the Cayenne, which should arrive in the market late next year as a 2015 model, will receive new headlamps and taillights that in this prototype, are covered over with faux decals, as well as a redesigned front and a re-profiled rear bumper with a new diffuser.

We could also see new wheels and some minor interior improvements making their way on the production model.

Since the Panamera and Cayenne share the same engines, it's only logical to assume that Porsche's updated mid-size crossover will surely gain the new 3.0-litre bi-turbo V6 gasoline unit with 414hp (420PS) and 520 Nm (383.5 lb-ft) of torque replacing the naturally aspirated V8, and possibly the 410hp plug-in hybrid V6 powerplant, both of which were introduced on the 2014 Panamera.

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Watch Croatia's Rimac Concept_One EV Silently Smoke a Ferrari 458 Spider

Watch Croatia's Rimac Concept_One EV Silently Smoke a Ferrari 458 Spider

The makers of the very exclusive and even more expensive Rimac Concept_One are currently doing a tour in the Middle East to show off their all-electric supercar to potential buyers, and while they are at it, they filmed a short in duration, but quite interesting in content, video of the battery-powered model.What they did is place the Conept_One next to a Ferrari 458 Spider on a side street adjacent to a parking lot and let the two supercars do a quick drag race.
Given that, the Concept_One has an electric powertrain that produces its peak torque instantly and the fact that the race took place on a short street for only a few hundred feet, it won't surprise you to learn that the Croatian supercar beat its Italian rival.
However, with its four-in-wheel electric motors delivering a combined output of 1,073hp (1,088PS) and 1,600Nm (1,180 lb-ft) of peak torque, and a curb weight of 1,650 kg (3,638 lbs) for a manufacture estimated 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint time of 2.8 seconds, the Rimac Concept_One shouldn't have a problem taking on the Ferrari on a longer strip – unless it runs out of electric juice…
We'll remind you that the 458 Spider gets a 4.5-liter V8 mounted behind the driver delivering 562-horses (570PS) for a 0-100km/h time of 3.4 seconds.
One thing you should keep in mind, though, is that with a base price of €750,000 or about US$960,000 at today's exchange rates, the Concept_One costs somewhere between three and four times as much as the 458 (depending on the country), so it isn't really a fair comparison, is it...

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Fastest Car in the World Pulled Over by a Policeman on a Bicycle

Fastest Car in the World Pulled Over by a Policeman on a Bicycle

No thanks to the 2012 Olympic Games, London has become a more heavily patrolled and less friendlier place for cars of any type or price – theBugatti Veyron EB 16.4 included.

Still, it's not every day that you see a 1,001-horsepower (986bhp) supercar being signaled by a policeman to follow him on a…bicycle for a violation.

YouTube poster 'supercarsoflondon' describes the short incident thusly:

"Definition of Irony? 1001bhp Veyron being stopped by a Policeman on a push bike!!! This is a rare site for a car like this to be pulled over. The Olympics definitely means more police. This incident only occurred due to no front number plate! Policeman wasting everyones time!!"

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Glitzy Malaysian Wedding with a Parade of Exotic Supercars and Luxury Models

Glitzy Malaysian Wedding with a Parade of Exotic Supercars and Luxury Models

Nothing says success hasn't gone to your head and that you remain a person of the people than a…parade of exotic and super luxurious automobiles, including more Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 coupes (each priced at around $1 million in Malaysia) and Bentley Continental Flying Spur sedans than we care to count.

All this and more took place during the wedding of Malaysian badminton athletes Lee Chong Wei and Wong Mew Choo at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre this past weekend.

In case you must know, Wei is a professional badminton player who has won silver medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games and was ranked first worldwide for 199 successive weeks from August 21, 2008 to June 14, 2012. His newly-wedded wife is also a badminton player, but she retired from the sport in 2011.

We tip our hats to Lingesht for the video find!

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Vorsteiner Readying New Tune for BMW M6 Coupe and Cabriolet Models

Vorsteiner Readying New Tune for BMW M6 Coupe and Cabriolet Models

In January, Vorsteiner announced the release of a new set of forged aluminum concave wheels finished in brushed aluminum and available in sizes 21"x9.5J for the front and 21"x11J for the rear end of the BMW M6 Coupe (F12) andCabriolet models (F13), but that was only the beginning.

The tuner is now working on a full styling and exhaust package for the mightiest models of the 6-Series range that are both powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 at 552hp (560PS) and 516 lb-ft (700Nm).

For now, Vorsteiner is teasing its M6 EditionPackage through a set of renderings depicting the coupe model fitted with an aero kit that includes a modified front bumper with a lip spoiler, side skirts, a boot lid spoiler and a new rear diffuser, all made out of carbon fibre.

The car is also riding on a different set of deep-dish wheels finished in black with beefier tires than the original.

Vorsteiner said it will release further details in the coming weeks.

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NAIAS 2013: New MINI Paceman John Cooper Works Can Be Yours for $36,200

NAIAS 2013: New MINI Paceman John Cooper Works Can Be Yours for $36,200

Is it a hatch; a CUV; a coupe or a pocket rocket? Well, according to Mini, the new Paceman John Cooper Works that made its world premiere at the Detroit Auto Show this week encompasses traits from all those vehicles mentioned before.

If that's what you want, then be prepared to pay a minimum of $36,200 (includes a $700 delivery and handling fee) to buy the sportiest Paceman model in the States.

An aerodynamic kit along with 18-inch light-alloy wheels, a sports exhaust system with chrome tailpipes, doorsills bearing the John Cooper Works logo and available two-tone schemes, set the car apart from its lesser siblings.

Inside you will find the usual sport touches on the steering wheel, seats and dashboard trims.

Under the hood lies a 1.6-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine rated for 208hp in U.S.-specification connected to a standard six-speed manual or an optional six-speed auto, and MINI's ALL4 all-wheel-drive system. The new Paceman JCW dashes from rest to 60 mph (96km/h) in 6.5 seconds - regardless of the transmission, and tops out at 127 mph (204km/h) for US models.

According to preliminary EPA estimates, average fuel consumption is 31 mpg highway / 25 mpg city / 27 mpg combined for the manual transmission and 30 mpg highway / 23 mpg city / 26 mpg combined for automatic models.

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