Major car brand discontinues most popular motors amid lull in sales
A MAJOR car brand has discontinued some of its most popular motors amid a lull in sales.
The Italian manufacturer is a big name in the luxury car industry but has seen a dip in customers as the cost of living crisis bites.
According to Car and Driver, Maserati has confirmed that their Quattroporte sedan and V8 Ghibli models will be scrapped at the end of the year.
On top of that, the company is expected to phase out some of its V6 offerings as it moves away from the Ferrari-built engine it currently uses.
This is reportedly set to be replaced by Maserati’s own M20 Nettuno V6 in the Levante and V6 Ghibli.
The decision to give the V8s the chop is believed to have come down to declining demand for sedans in the global market, particularly in the US.
Given that the Maseratis are very much on the luxury end of the scale, and have the price tags to match, it seems natural that they have become a casualty of a lack of consumer will to spend big on similar cars.
The Levante is then expected to exit the lineup after 2024/25, with the V6 Ghibli following soon after.
However, the manufacturer is yet to announce any plans beyond the end of that period.
The V8 engine will live on in the Ghibli Ultima and Levante Ultima models but has ceased production and so will likely not survive beyond those models.
There is no Quattroporte Ultima, though the nameplate may be brought back in 2025 on a new sports sedan, according to Autocar.
Maserati has been approached for comment.
It comes after BMW announced it was scrapping one of its most iconic cars, beloved by millions of Brits as they launch a new EV.
Meanwhile, VW brought the curtain down on perhaps its most legendary model which was favoured by big-name celebs and even royalty.
And another major brand was wound up altogether, with all car production coming to a halt as it was absorbed into another company.