Marchionne announces new Ferrari, a probable new Maserati and a diesel MultiAir engine

Today, the entire leadership of the Fiat group held the long-announced press conference, announcing the group’s financial results, the launch programme and probable new models for all the brands that make up the holding Fiat. The conference started on time, with Sergio Marchionne taking the floor to give a summary of Fiat’s economic results and some figures on Chrysler.

Things at Chrysler are not going quite as well as expected, but Marchionne said that he still believed the targets set for this year can be met. Most analysts are not so sure, as they believe that Chrysler will not be able to survive much longer. Chrysler reported net losses of almost 4 billion dollars since it came out of bankruptcy last year, but it had an operating profit in the first quarter and stated that it was on its way to breaking even in 2010.

Then it was the turn to speak about Fiat, Maserati and Ferrari, where things became much more interesting, as each head of each brand announced important news.

Ferrari will present in 2012 a special series of the Ferrari Enzo, which will follow the 458 Italia Spyder that is due to be presented next year. Later, in 2013, Ferrari will present the new generation of the Ferrari California (California M). Also next year, the 612 Scaglietti will see a new version of the V12 engine and some restyling changes. It was also said that there is no possibility of intermediate models, nor crossovers, nor SUVs; all Ferrari production will focus on the four basic models currently on offer, plus the addition of the Enzo in 2012.

On the Maserati side, the trident brand is working on a smaller version of the Quattroporte saloon, which will be pitted head-to-head against the Mercedes E-Class or the BMW 5 Series. In addition, the current Quattroporte will have a future new variant of the second generation, which will update the model a little further.

FPT (Fiat Powertrain Technologies) was represented by Alfredo Altavilla, head of the brand’s engine division. Among the most important points, FPT will be presenting a diesel version of the MultiAir engine and the second generation of these engines, which will possibly be accompanied by a hybrid version in 2014.

Source | Autoblog Italia