It has been 7 years since Maserati decided to partner with Italian fashion house Emenegildo Zegna, beginning with Maserati’s centennary celebrations in 2014. Revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2013, the Quattroporte Ermenegildo Zegna Limited Edition Concept touted a beautifully deep bronze paint job and an interior with very fine wool textile and soft leather upholstery. All of us here at Jim Butler Maserati of St Louis had a lot of love for it at the time, and it was a valuable collaboration between two companies linked by exclusive style and tradition.

Being masters at working with hide, the pair debuted the results of another collaboration, the brand-new Pelletessuta Woven leather interior. Very thin strips of lightweight Napa fabric for 100 special edition vehicles were created and previewed during Monterrey Car Week in August. These 100 limited edition models have finally reached dealerships in the U.S., and until they sell out, the two models will remain as a full expression of rich-blooded Italian form and prowess. Meanwhile, back home in Italy, Maserati paid homage to its compatriots and beloved country in crisis by lighting the towers at the Modena headquarters with the three colors of Il Tricolore, the Italian flag. 

There are 50 models of the 2020 Quattroporte S Q4 GranLusso, which already comes equipped with a Luxury Zegna Package interior, unlike the entry-level Quattroporte. Each of these very special models wears a custom Blu Sofisticato metallic paint with blue brake calipers. On the inside, dark brown Pelletessuta interior includes sport seats for the front passengers, and a Zegna badge ties up the work. The other 50 models up for grabs are the 2020 Levante S GranSport finished in Bronzo Tri-Coat and 21-inch polished Helios rims, and these interiors are properly doled up with black Pelletessuta fabric and accented with custom Radica wood trim. 

As the experts at Car and Driver themselves said, the Levante is “The one SUV in its class that offers a leather-and-silk interior and its Ferrari-derived powertrains can induce automotive nirvana, especially with the throttle open wide”. The Quattroporte is known for having amazing and engaging handling for a larger sedan, and a perfectly firm ride with 20 and 21-inch wheels. With engines coming from sister company Ferrari, we have always guaranteed that these are cars that will be instantly special, and always holding on to high appeal with its Italian roots. The GTS models come with a powerful twin-turbo V8, and GranLusso and GranSport trims also can be upgraded to the V8-powered GTS spec.

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Scores of loyal customers right here at Jim Butler Maserati of St Louis have had an exciting year with plenty of future refreshes and releases to keep their eyes on and inquire about! We all were pretty sure that an updated Maserati Ghibli was arriving sometime during 2020, but we finally received a bit of solid proof in the form of spy shots from the folks at the Motor1.com blog. These pictures show a Ghibli test vehicle with just a little camouflage wrap on the hood, and not much more. 

The standard Maserati badge situated on the C-pillar is covered by black tape, but the trident in the grille is on full display. After a close look, it does appear that Maserati has something in the works for the hood, or it may have to do with the potentially changed-up engine underneath. The spy photographer that was “working this case” did get an up-close picture of a parked prototype with a tag on the windshield leading us to believe there was the existence of a 2.0-liter engine. The tag also said “330hp”, which interests us because the current Ghibli’s base engine is a V6 that cranks out 345 hp. A new entry-level model could very well be in the making. 

This could also be a plug-in hybrid model, which would explain the black tape on the C-pillar, maybe with the duty of covering up a potential charging port. It could be true that the “330 hp” in question was referring to only the gasoline engine, and that there could be an electric powertrain on the way as well. The Motor1.com troupe definitely did take notice of what appears to be an updated interior, while heavy covers were hiding the dash and center console. They could make out new lines on the dash’s center, which were connected to what appeared to be a larger infotainment screen. 

The plug-in hybrid was expected to debut at the 2020 Beijing Motor Show, which was sadly postponed due to serious global events. Even if Maserati decides to hold a standalone event, there shouldn’t be too much longer of a wait before we will all get to see details of these new changes. The Ghibli is the ultimate in upper-end luxury for anyone’s sedan taste, and the car that Edmunds.com claimed has “Sound from the tailpipe that is a symphony unto itself”. The GranSport and GranLusso trims now come standard with a driver assistance package that includes features such as adaptive cruise control and forward-collision warning, two more features that will put you at ease on the road in what we feel is a world-class and vivacious vehicle choice for the coming of spring!

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