Shanghai auto show preview: Crossovers, SUVs top the list of reveals: BMW X4, Mercedes-Benz GLA concepts set for Shanghai

Automakers will test China's huge appetite for crossovers and SUVs with introductions this week at the Shanghai auto show.

Acura, BMW, Citroen, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen plan world debuts for compact crossovers, while Jeep -- which arguably started the SUV craze -- will roll out its new Cherokee.

China's crossover segment is a crucial battleground for automakers at a time when the world's largest car market's growth rate has slowed to single digits.

The German automakers appear especially eager to introduce compact crossovers in a bid to expand beyond the stretched sedans that dominate China's luxury market.

Here's a summary of announced vehicle introductions.

Acura

Honda released a sketch of an Acura concept crossover that will debut. The vehicle is meant for global sales, but more details were unavailable.

Audi

The Audi A3 compact sedan will get its public debut in Shanghai after a private showing to journalists last month in New York. The sedan is aimed at China's high-earning young urban professionals.

BMW

BMW will unveil its X4 crossover concept before the production version debuts in September at the Frankfurt auto show. The X4 is a sportier version of the X3 with a lower roofline and coupe styling. It is designed to attract younger buyers looking for more stylish vehicles and willing to pay a price premium.

Buick

Buick has scheduled a world debut for a concept car. Details were unavailable.

BYD

BYD Co. will showcase the new Sirui compact, its most expensive gasoline-powered model, priced at $24,194. The Sirui is powered by a turbocharged 1.5-liter direct-injection engine with a six-speed automatic gearbox.

Changan

Changan Automobile Co. will unveil a production compact hatchback sedan, the Zhishang XT, which will go on sale in June. The car is powered by a 1.6-liter engine.

Citroen

Citroen will unveil the Wild Rubis concept for an upscale DS-badged crossover. The automaker is targeting well-off Chinese customers with its DS line, which it launched in China in 2012 with a dedicated sales network.

Detroit Electric

The startup maker of electric cars will unveil its SP:01 electric sports car, which is based on the Lotus Elise and has a top speed of 155 mph. The car will be produced in the Detroit area starting in August.

Ford

Ford will introduce a concept, though details are unavailable. The automaker also will display the Mondeo, EcoSport, Kuga, Focus ST and Explorer, all of which have been or will be launched this year in China.

Honda

Honda released a sketch of a Honda-badged concept multipurpose vehicle that will debut. The vehicle is intended for Chinese consumers, but further details were unavailable. Honda also will show near-production versions of the Concept C, a China-market sedan, and the Concept S wagon, both shown last year at the Beijing auto show. Both go on sale this year.

Icona

Icona, an Italian design studio in Shanghai, will roll out the Vulcano, a one-off supercar built in Italy. The two-seater is powered by a 900-hp V-12 engine. Icona claims the car has a top speed of 217 mph.

Jeep

Jeep will showcase the new Cherokee SUV, which enters production late next year at Fiat's joint-venture plant with Guangzhou Automobile Group. The Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon also will have their Asian premieres.

Maserati

Maserati will debut the Ghibli, a mid-sized sedan that will compete with the Audi A6, BMW 5 series and Mercedes E class.

Mazda

Mazda will roll out its Mazda6 sedan and CX-5 small crossover for the Chinese market.

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz will debut the GLA concept, a compact crossover based on the same front-wheel-drive platform as the A- and B-class cars. Mercedes also will introduce a face-lifted E-class sedan with a long wheelbase, a key model built only in China.

Nissan

Nissan is showcasing the Friend-Me concept, which features a center console that gives all four occupants online access. More details were unavailable. Nissan also will display its redesigned Teana flagship sedan, which debuted in February in Guangzhou.

Porsche

Porsche will debut its Panamera sedan with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, alongside a long-wheelbase Panamera for the Chinese market.

Qoros

The Chinese-Israeli automaker will roll out two concepts, a wagon and a hybrid-powered crossover version of the Qoros 3 Sedan, which debuted in Geneva.

Skoda

Skoda plans the global premieres of its newly face-lifted Superb hatchback and Superb Combi. The models will have redesigned front and rear ends, wider grilles and LED daytime running lights.

Suzuki

Suzuki will unveil the Authentics, a compact sedan concept with a long wheelbase and a low roofline. The car has a strong character line that Suzuki likens to a wind-cutting image.

Toyota

Toyota will display an electric sedan concept under the new Ranz brand, which will be built and marketed by Toyota's joint venture with China FAW Group. The car, built on the platform of the Toyota Corolla EX, was developed by the partnership's technical center in Tianjin.

Volkswagen

Volkswagen will unveil a four-door crossover concept based on its new MQB architecture. VW released no details of the vehicle, saying only that the concept's design will be close to that of the production version.

Maserati Ghibli Revealed as 5 Series, E-Class Rival

The new Maserati Ghibli, pictured here for the first time ahead of its official unveiling at the Shanghai motor show, is set to be one of the cornerstones of the Italian manufacturer’s target of selling 50,000 cars per year by 2015. It has been revealed in full following a leak online earlier today.

The Ghibli, which revives a nameplate last used by Maserati in 1997, is breaking new ground because it marks the first time the Modena-based brand has built a car for the E-segment, where the new four-door executive saloon will rival cars such as the BMW 5-series and Mercedes E-class.

Based on a shortened version of the platform that underpins the newQuattroporte, the Ghibli will be built alongside its sister model in the ex-Bertone plant in Grugliasco, near Turin. The two cars were designed alongside each other under the watch of Lorenzo Ramaciotti, the former head of design at Pininfarina who now has the same role within the Fiat Group, and Maserati’s own design chief, Marco Tencone.

The Ghibli is expected to measure just under five-metres in length, slightly longer than its 5-series rival.

No performance figures are available because homologation of the final iteration of the car has not yet been completed, but Maserati says the new car will have a sportier and more aggressive character compared to the larger Quattroporte. The Ghibli will also be offered at a lower price point than any other Maserati on the market.

Three engine variants will be available in the UK. The entry-level model will be the first Maserati production car in history to be powered by a diesel engine, with a 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel. This engine will give the company a rival to high-performance diesel versions of the 5-series and Audi A6 and the car is expected to cost below £50k.

Maserati's petrol turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 engine will be offered in two states of tune. The range-topping car will boast about 410bhp and the price is expected to be in the low-£60k region. The lower-powered petrol car will have about 330bhp and sit halfway between the others in terms of pricing. A V8 petrol is expected to follow at a later date.

The engines were designed and developed by head of powertrain Paolo Martinelli, who was formerly powertrain guru for the Ferrari F1 team during the Michael Schumacher era.

Each will be mated to a ZF-supplied eight-speed automatic gearbox with paddle shifters. Although rear- and all-wheel-drive variants will be built for left-hand-drive markets, the UK will only receive rear-drive cars due to the constraints of re-engineering the ‘Q4’ all-wheel drive system for right-hand drive, a similar situation as exists with the Quattroporte. The all-wheel-drive versions will be paired only with the more powerful petrol engine option.

Inside the Ghibli, leather will be standard across the range and will be supplied by Italian specialist Poltrona Frau, and a Bowers & Wilkins sound system will be offered as an option.

Deliveries of left-hand-drive cars will start in the summer, with right-hand-drive versions scheduled to reach their owners in October. After the Shanghai reveal, the Ghibli will go on a ‘world tour’, initially as a static exhibit. An appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed has also been mooted.

It is estimated that the Ghibli could eventually account for almost half ofMaserati’s 50,000 sales target. In the UK, about 1000 sales per year are anticipated for 2014, the first full calendar year that the car will be on sale.

After the launch of the Ghibli, Maserati will turn its attentions to its next new model, the Levante SUV, which is due in the manufacturer’s centenary year, 2015.

Rumored LaFerrari-based Maserati supercar rendered

Allegedly due in 2015

Anton Gjorsev has digitally imagined Maserati's rumored LaFerrari-based supercar due in 2015.

Looking similar to the recently introducedLaFerrari, this render might have something in common with Maserati's own version which is expected to arrive in 2015. A previous report has indicated the two-seater will lose the hybrid setup of the LaFerrari and feature either the same V12 6.3-liter engine or a quad-turbo 3.8-liter V8 taken from the Quattroporte. Regardless of the engine, power output will be less.

Taking into account it will forgo the hybrid hardware, Maserati's supercar will be lighter and will be available strictly as a coupe. It is believed the electrical, suspension and chassis will be borrowed from the LaFerrari, while some of the body panels will be specially made from carbon fiber.

Jay Leno Shows Off His Restored 1962 Maserati 3500 GTi

When you’re Jay Leno, there’s no such thing as “enough” cars in your collection, and the search for one particular make and model is just as likely to uncover a car you weren't even looking for.

From what we can tell, Leno stumbled across this 1962 Maserati 3500 GTi in a storage locker while on the quest for an Aston Martin DB5. The Maserati had been in storage for some 20 years and had nearly 100k miles on the clock; while it would clearly need mechanical work, the body and paint made the car worth buying, especially at $25,000.

Unless you’re Jay Leno, restoring a 50-year-old Maserati 3500 GTi can be a daunting task, as original parts came from a variety of European suppliers, including Girling (brakes), ZF (transmission), Borrani (wire wheels) and Lucas (fuel injection).

The Lucas fuel injection itself is so cumbersome to troubleshoot that most owners resort to using the triple-Weber-carburetor setup found on 3500 GT models. This increases fuel consumption and drops horsepower from 240 to 220 hp, but keeping an Italian car fitted with English fuel injection running is simply beyond the means of most owners.

The staff at Leno’s Big Dog Garage worked though the problems with the help of specialty companies to recalibrate the fuel injection and manufacture new throttle butterflies. Despite the car’s high mileage, the in-line six-cylinder engine wasn’t torn down for a rebuild as it ultimately ran strong on all six cylinders.

While Leno generally strives for authenticity, certain parts were either unavailable or not up to contemporary standards. The Maserati’s shocks, for example, are custom-built for the car by Bilstein, the plug wires are designed to filter RF interference and the oversized aluminum radiator is a one-off piece.

No one ever said that restoring a five-decade-old car was an easy task, even for Leno’s staffers, but the end result is a car that sounds great and really stands out in the crowd. Ultimately, it cost far less to purchase (and likely restore) than GT coupes from brands like Jaguar, Ferrari and Aston Martin.

We wouldn’t necessarily agree with Leno that you should buy the first Maserati 3500 that comes along, since any restoration is a complex and expensive proposition. If you’re mechanically inclined and stumble on the same kind of a deal that Leno did, however, we’d agree that you’d be foolish to let it slip away.
Catch the video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-1uui_5wA8

Maserati Ghibli Inches Closer To Production

Here we have of a glimpse of the new, smaller Maserati sedan testing in Europe. Called the Ghibli, the new model will allow Maserati to extend its appeal as it works toward a self-imposed goal of selling 50,000 cars per year. We previously spotted the car winter testing, but this time the luxury sedan was seen in fairer weather. The Ghibli will probably be based on a shorter version of the chassis used for the new 2014 Quattroporte — and that car was itself a derivative of the Chrysler 300. The test mule seen here clearly mimics its older brother’s graceful lines, effectively shrinking the design of the Quattroporte. The Ghibli prototype has relatively short rear doors and a stubby trunk, in comparison to the Quattroporte. Maserati’s signature gaping chrome grille will adorn the nose, while four discrete round exhaust tips peek out from beneath the rear bumper. The Maserati Ghibli will be about a foot shorter than the Quattroporte, and it is mechanically paired with the new Alfa Romeo 169 to help amortize development costs. Expect the Ghibli to debut this year with a price tag just below $100,000. It is positioned to steal sales from the likes of the BMW 5 Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, and Audi A6. Eventually, Maserati might build a coupe and convertible off the bones of the new Ghibli. The Ghibli will be powered by a twin-turbocharged V-6 engine, either a variant of Chrysler’s 3.6-liter Pentastar or a detuned version of the.0-liter in the new Maserati Quattroporte. There are inklings the bigger car’s twin-turbo V-8 will also make an appearance on the Ghibli order sheet, but that seems like a long shot because Maserati will probably try to keep the two sedans distinct. Reports suggest the Maserati Ghibli is likely to debut publicly at the Shanghai Motor Show in April.