Reports Don’t See Upcoming Maserati Levante Underpinned by a Jeep

The natural course of development predicted for the upcoming Maserati Levante SUV to be no more than a glorified and dressed up Jeep Grand Cherokee that would have, undoubtedly, made a lot of financial sense for the new Fiat-Chrysler group.

However, two new reports from Motortrend magazine and CNN go hand in hand and point to the actual underpinnings to be used for the Levante, which it will share with the Quattroporte and Ghibli.

This is very welcome news, since the Jeep Grand Cherokee is not regarded as a rewarding vehicle to drive, or one that handles in any kind of remarkable way, and these are two traits that simply must be present in a Maserati product.

They would have to mirror Porsche’s Cayenne recipe, but build it around their brand’s own values; the sedan-based architecture will help it achieve that much more than the unwieldy Jeep chassis ever could.

The company is still saying it will stick to its Jeep plans, when asked officially, but the project has been marked by setbacks and direction changes before, so it may hold true. The sedan solution suggestion is also strengthened by the automaker’s recent announcement that it was going to build the Levante in Italy, and not in the US, where it would have been made alongside the Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Porsche Recalls New 911 GT3s to Inspect Engines Over Fire Concerns, Tells Owners to Stop Driving

Following yesterday’s announcement that it will temporarily stop deliveries and sales of 911 GT3 vehicles after reports of two cars catching fire, Porsche swiftly moved to announce a recall of all 2014 model year 911 GT3 vehicles.

The sports car manufacturer said it is recalling all 785 delivered vehicles worldwide to inspect their engines. Porsche said it is directly informing the owners and “recommending that they stop using their vehicles.” Furthermore, “the carmaker is offering to pick up the vehicles and take them to a Porsche Centre immediately,” says the release.

Porsche said internal studies to determine the cause of the engine damage have not been completed yet, but it will report on any new findings immediately. Engineers at Porsche are still examining the remains of the burnt vehicles from Switzerland and Italy.

The recall comes after engine damage occurred in two vehicles in Europe, causing them to catch fire. There was no traffic accident and no one was hurt. The 469hp Porsche 911 GT3 is the hardcore version of the current 991 series and costs €137,303 in Germany and US$130,400 in the United States.

2015 BMW M3 Sedan Priced from $62,000*, New M4 Coupe from $64,200*

The pricing and options guides for the new 2015 BMW M3 sedan and its two-door sibling, the M4 Coupe, are out in the open. If four-doors is your thing, the M3 will cost you $62,000, while the sleeker looking coupe starts a bit higher at $64,200 (obviously because a car designated with the number 4 should be more expensive than a car that starts with 3).

Neither price includes destination and handling (*), while if you prefer to pick up your car in Munich, Germany, from BMW's headquarters as part of their Euro Delivery program, the M3 will cost you $57,710 and the M4, $59,755.

And that is only the beginning, as there's also the wonderful premium brand world of pricey options, such as the $3,500 Merino Leather treatment, $1,900 LED lighting package and $8,150 Carbon Ceramic brakes.

A comprehensive list with the prices and options, courtesy of the crew over at the BMWBlog, can be found below.