Maserati vehicles have always had that extra bit of sexy that most serious luxury sedans seem to lack, regardless of how much performance and quality materials they shove into them. They are that tantalizing alternative to the usual German mainstays that dominate these segments, and now it seems that this lack of full segment penetration is hurting the triton-emblazoned brand.
A report by Automotive News Europe tells us that that parent company FCA is trimming the production of the Quattroporte full-size sedan and the Ghibli mid-size sedan as demand for the vehicles have slowed.
“The company is predicting production of about 30,000 to 35,000 cars at Grugliasco this year. I think it will be closer to 30,000,” said Federico Bellono, CGIL union leader in Turin, where the plant is located. Another union official has said that production of both cars has been reduced from 12 a week to 10.
If you look at the numbers, it makes sense. Maserati just had an amazing year, closing out with a 137-percent increase in sales, with the Ghibli making up around 25,500 of the over 36,000 cars the company sold. As popular as the new car was, along with the refreshed Quattroporte, FCA knew this increase wouldn’t sustain its momentum for long.
“We knew we could not keep on growing sales of the Ghibli and Quattroporte. They have to slow down and settle and that is what is happening,” said CEO Sergio Marchionne.
What we’re seeing now are the beginnings of the shifts many companies under FCA have planned. Maserati has often been a brand running two cars in its lineup at most. Its recent addition of the smaller Ghibli to its lineup, and the addition of the upcoming Levante SUV, is on track with FCA’s plans to increase the lineup to six cars by 2018.
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.