Gossip

[BJL]

I know Phil will say Blaa, Blaa Blaa, but I'm off to Modena in two weeks to stay with .......& ...... for a couple of nights before going south but from conversations this morning the rumour circulating the shop floor is the Alfieri will now not be built as shown but is now being stretched by 400mm to form the platform for the new Grand Tourismo with a V8t and 8 speed auto box plus a Grand Trofeo version with the California axle and duel clutch set up which could be assembled at Modena.

Apparently there is a bit of a panic going on at management level to bring something to market quickly that will sell in large numbers to all audiences and arrest the growing ambivalence towards Maserati.

Time will tell no doubt but hope to learn more in two weeks.

 

[conaero]

I can live with that and may go for a new one. I really liked the Alf but there were some areas that needed work...the front grill and the wing line into the doors plus there was no seam on the prototype's rear bumper were it meets the rear quarters, which will have to be a consideration for the production model.

It's positive news none the less.

 

[daverichardson]

Well they have to do something and quickly

 

[Contigo]

Keep us posted! If they make it longer than the concept it will be Mahoosive, think a GT size but a good half meter longer.

 

[drewf]

The concept shown originally at Geneva wasn't a long car.

 

[allandwf]

They have already missed the boat with the Alfieri Be better calling it something completely different.

 

[midlifecrisis]

Bindo, Carlo, Ettore, Kevin,


Take your pick of names of the fratelli Maserati

 

[conaero]

The Alfieri was on a shortened Strad chassis. Put it on the Strad chassis and have both I say, a GranTurismo and a GranSport and A GranSport Spyder, GranTurismo Spyder was too long and didn't sell as expected.

4.2 and 4.7 Turbo, job done. Drop the QP and keep the Ghibli and Levante with V6 petrol and diesel. Come on Maserati, it's simple!

5 car range and something for everyone:
1. 4.2T GranSport 2+2
2. 4.2T GranSport 2 seater Spyder
3. 4.2T & 4.7T GranTurismo
4. V6 Petrol and Diesel Ghibli
5. V6 Petrol and Diesel Levante

 

[daverichardson]

Drop the QP?
Agree the QPV1 is too big, but the QPV is not and it is better looking than the Ghibli - although it is old
Oh dear where am I going here, ma heeds nippin

Well maybe if they improved the Ghibli

 

[safrane]

So if its a quick turn around required is that not just a re-bodied GT with Alfi styling and lift the Gibber engines into it...that's the coat effective way to do it and given their balance sheets... I hope not but I do fear they are on their uppers at the moment.

They need a car people desire not a run of the mill selection of saloons and 4x4s for the fickle fasionesters who will move to the next new model from any premium brand as soo as look at you.

 

[highlander]

I'm no expert, and quite negative about Maserati's real ambitions, but is basing a perceived "halo" model on a 10 year old base really not smacking of desperation that maybe they have got planning wrong and are now grasping at straws?

 

[MrMickS]

You're not going to get a 4.2 and 4.7 V8. You will get the 3.8 twin turbo V8 out of the QP GTS.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BJL]

The cynic in me believes the Alfieri was no more than a one off concept car built on the existing GT platform using a 4.7 V8 just sat under a pretty skin. Nothing worked inside. No working dials or any other driving aids just enough electronics to make it go at upto 10 mph. Very clever lighting at various outings made it look as if there was more than one car being shown around the world. Even at Como where it drove around making a lovely noise it only went 200 feet and no one was allowed to sit in it.

Took the publics imagination and disguised the fact there was nothing in the then current line up worth getting juiced up about. Nothing has changed in 5 years. Now the Levante is being pushed as the 4x4 to be seen in when in truth it is a 4x4 Ghibli with a generic body and at 80k for a well specced V6 petrol It will struggle in the company it has to keep.

All very sad. Ferrari, Porsche, Lambourghini, Bentley and Audi realise gradual evolution of a much loved concept is the way to keep the product fresh without alienating the existing owner base but Maserati seem **** bent on reinventing itself with every model. The new QP is for a completely different market to the QPV. The Ghibli fills a gap that doesn't exist in the mind of the typical Maserati owner, it might if it had at least the performance of the new Alfa and some, the GT is 10 years old and based on a 14 year old platform. I hope what they are cobbling together isn't just a raid on the parts bin to get some headlines. Sorry for the rant but I want a Maserati that makes me want to get up at 4.00am for a drive not become so old before they make one that I have to get up at 4.00am

 

[bigbob]

Enjoying this thread as I am looking forward to the next Maserati coupe whatever it is.

The original thesis is the same as I was told a few months ago - ie one car doing both jobs - but there is more detail here than I was told.

I presume both versions would be built in Modena? Thanks.

 

[MrMickS]

They need a new sports car platform. Something that will provide a basis for both the Alfieri and a new GT. At a push they could prolong the GT with a facelift, an equipment upgrade, and the V8 from the QP GTS. This would be short term, but probably deflect away from effort being spent on a new platform. Just because there is no metal doesn't mean that the new platform isn't in development, just that its not been given the green light to transfer from the computer into something more tangible.

Taking a positive view on things Maserati they have a new engine platform in place now with the V6 and V8 from the facelifted QP. They could be tweaked a little to generate a bit more power for two and four seat sports cars. The automatic gearbox will probably be the ZF unit which will be the only thing on offer initially. A more hardcore MC shift type may come along later. Styling they appear to have a handle on, with the Alfieri concept. So we are looking at a chassis and putting it altogether.

The issues are staying in business to produce it, and whether it becomes desirable to offer a hybrid power plant by the time the new cars are released. The former we should know about within six months. If the Levante doesn't move units after all of the publicity then I fear that Maserati are dead in the water and its whether FCA feel that they want to continue with them.

On the positive front it has taken much less time to get the Levante from trade show darling into real units on the ground than Alfa took with the Giulia. This points to Maserati being in a decent position to do things once the green light is given.

Of course this could all be total ballcocks

 

[Contigo]

The cynic in me says it won't get built and they will keep churning out the current Ghibli , QP and Levante for the next few years. Cannot see the Alfieri ever coming to fruition and certainly not like the Concept, it will be a box selling, toned down version made for profit not with passion.

I hope I am proved wrong though.

 

[bigbob]

A few random thoughts:

-Maserati will survive, it always does. Whether it thrives is another issue.
-A new coupe(s) will come and I don't mind if there is only one and it is a similar size to my current car.
-Reason if I want a stylish smaller coupe then I will buy an F Type V6 and save a packet.
-The Alfieri boat has sailed and we talked about it for too long.
-If they were going to put the V8TT and ZF 8 speed into the GranTurismo then they already would have. It is soon about to die.
-The new coupe needs to be built in Modena. Happy to have a £50k car saloon/SUV from Turin but not a £100k one. It's all about heritage at the top end.
-The automated single clutch gearbox, like the n/a V8, will die.

 

[MrMickS]

I think you're right that the Alfieri as seen won't be built. Something along similar lines might be if the Levante sells well, but then again it would have if Ghibli sales hadn't dropped.

One big problem Maserati has was voiced by a number of people that I spoke to about the car at Brands. They just don't believe that an Italian luxury car can be reliable. If they look around on the Internet they find tales of engine issues and that drives people away to the safety of BMW/Audi/Mercedes/Jaguar. We don't really help either because as enthusiasts how many drive an Audi/Mercedes/Jaguar as a daily car even though a Ghibli might have been available for similar money? If a Maserati enthusiast wouldn't run one daily then why should an ordinary bloke take the risk?

I know the last bit is controversial and I'm not intending to take a dig at anyone just saying how things might appear to the general public who go around researching the cars.

Alfa may come across a similar problem with the Giulia, however good it is. In the end why would people buy a £30+k Italian car with all of the attendant reliability worries when they can play safe and get a German one? I would have hoped that by now the reliability of the Ghibli would have been answered, first cycle of company leases should be complete, and that real cost of ownership figures would be available. Perhaps it'll take another couple of years, the question is can Maserati wait that out?

 

[conaero]

A couple of interesting observations there Mick


Agreed, they have enough in the engine dept to keep going, I feel its important not to rely on the ZF 8 speed Autobox, its very good but drivers of sportscars do want to change gear so an MC shift type box should always be offered even if it is inferior to the Autobox:

Taking a positive view on things Maserati they have a new engine platform in place now with the V6 and V8 from the facelifted QP. They could be tweaked a little to generate a bit more power for two and four seat sports cars. The automatic gearbox will probably be the ZF unit which will be the only thing on offer initially. A more hardcore MC shift type may come along later. Styling they appear to have a handle on, with the Alfieri concept. So we are looking at a chassis and putting it altogether. )

This is the major issue. We all know that FCA will continue to pump in funds till they get it right. They don't have a history of selling off marques to the competition or closing them when they continue to loose money, look at Alfa Romeo. They have consistently lost money over the decades since FIAT too it over in the 80's. Its sort of an Italian pride thing I guess and hats off to them.

If the Levante doesn't move units after all of the publicity then I fear that Maserati are dead in the water and its whether FCA feel that they want to continue with them.

So, Maserati today appears to be following the rags to riches and back to rags again FIAT cycle. They passed a wreck of a company to Ferrari control and it turned around, they separated it, thinking that sales would continue due to the Ferrari image but it isn't working. Cloning the tech into Alfa Romeo has not helped either....well, its helped Alfa I suppose.

 

[conaero]

Maserati will survive, it always does. Whether it thrives is another issue.

Yes, I could have saved myself writing the above 'waffle' and summed it up with your one-liner.