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Why Italians are no longer buying supercars

Italy is the wound that continues to drain blood from the body financial of Italian supercar and sports car makers. The wound was opened by the country's various financial police who decided to get serious about superyacht-owning and supercar-driving tax cheats a few years ago, by noting their registrations and checking their incomes. When it was found that a rather high percentage of exotic toy owners had claimed a rather low annual income - certain business owners were found to be declaring less income than their employees - the owners began dumping their cars and prospective buyers declined to buy.
Car and Driver has a piece on how the initiative is hitting the home market the hardest. Lamborghini sold 1,302 cars worldwide in 2010, 1,602 cars in 2011 and 2,083 cars in 2012 - an excellent surge in just two years. In Italy, however, it's all about the ebb: in 2010, the year that Italian police began scouring harbors, Lamborghini sold 96 cars in Italy, the next year it sold 72, last year it sold just 60. The declines for Maserati and Ferrari are even more pronounced.
Head over to CD for the full story and the numbers. What might be most incredible isn't the cause and effect, but where the blame is being placed. A year ago the chairman of Italy's Federauto accused the government of "terrorizing potential clients," this year Luca di Montezemolo says what's happening has created "a hostile environment for ­luxury goods." Life at the top, it ain't easy.

Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #329 LIVE!

We're set to record Autoblog Podcast #329 tonight, and you can drop us your questions and comments via our Q&A module below. Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven't already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.
Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #329
Subcompact sales slump, yet again

2013 Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale gets its groove, seats back

The Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale was exclusively a two-seater, but here in Geneva, the big Italian coupe gets its rear thrones back. We don't know if the addition of rear passenger space will help improve sales of this special trim of the aging GT, but it's at the very least an excuse for Maserati to shine a few lights on its gorgeous two-door.
Under that rakish carbon fiber bonnet is the same Ferrari-sourced 4.7-liter V8 we've loved for years now, tuned to 460 horsepower in this application and mated to Maserati's MC Race Shift six-speed automatic transmission. Other updates for the MC Stradale include new 20-inch alloy wheels and a smattering of new materials inside the cabin.
Yes, it feels like we write about some version of the GranTurismo every time we attend the Geneva Motor Show, but this car still tickles our fancy each and every time. Scroll down for the press blast and check out the four-seater for yourself in the high-resolution gallery.