Maserati is recalling its all-new 2014 Quattroporte GTS sedan over an electrical wiring defect.

Maserati has announced that it is recalling a small number of its 2014 Quattroporte GTS due to a potential problem with the sedan’s wiring harness. According to the Italian automaker, some Quattroporte GTS models may have shipped with an improper connection in the alternator-starter motor wiring harness.

That lose crimp could cause the battery cable to short, which could lead to overheating, melting and possibly even a vehicle fire. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also warns that a short could cause the vehicle to stall, increasingly the likelihood of a crash.

Just 63 vehicles are covered by the recall.

Maserati will remedy the problem by replacing the alternator-starter motor wiring harness. The procedure is expected to take about 3 hours.

No accidents or injuries have been linked to the recall.

Electric vehicles may be cheaper to run than their gas-powered counterparts, but a new study shows that those savings might be outweighed by lower residual values.

With a sticker price of $28,305, the Chevrolet Spark EV is one of the most modestly priced electric vehicles on the market today. However, that doesn’t necessarily make the Spark EV one of the best long-term values, with the diminutive plug-in expected to retain just 28 percent of its list price in 5 years. That compares to 40 percent to a comparable conventionally-powered vehicle.

The value proposition is even worse for the Ford Focus Electric, with the battery-powered compact predicted to be worth just 20 percent of its $35,995 MSRP in five years. In comparison, a Ford Focus Titanium is predicted to retain about 36 percent of its purchase price.

Nissan’s Leaf is currently the most popular electric vehicle on the market, but that hasn’t helped the plug-in’s projected residual values. According to Kelley Blue Book’s analysis, the Leaf will cling to just 15 percent of its MSRP in half a decade.

“Pure electrics have been slow to catch on in the resale market,” Eric Ibara, director of residual consulting for Kelley Blue Book, told USA Today. Customers “have been willing to buy a new one, not a used electric vehicle.”

Three EVs – the Leaf, Fiat 500e and Smart Fortwo electric – top KBB’s worst predicted residual value list for 2014.

Good news yesterday from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration pushed electric car builder Tesla’s stock up more than 5 percent yesterday.

Climbing to $151.41 on the New York Stock Exchange, shares in Tesla are beginning to regain some of the ground they lost over the last three months after a number of high profile fires made big news. Tesla’s stock was at a record high of $193.37 at the end of September before tanking more than 25 percent on account of concerns related to the Model S sedan’s battery pack.

Yesterday, however, Tesla was granted another five star safety rating by NHTSA, the federal agency responsible for testing the crash worthiness of new cars. NHTSA opened an investigation into the Model S earlier this year, but the agency says it won’t report its findings until sometime next year. The five star award is a carry-over from last year; no major changes were made to the Model S for 2014, but Wall Street was apparently happy with the news anyway.

Germany’s NHTSA equivalent cleared the Model S in its similar investigation earlier this month.

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A new report finds France’s Peugeot is busily developing a premium sedan that will compete head-to-head against the Audi A3 Sedan and the popular Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class.

Tentatively called 408 GT, the car will wear an aggressive front end characterized by sharp headlights, wide air dams and Peugeot’s signature floating grille. It will boast an elegant, low-slung silhouette that will enable it to stand out from the more family-oriented 508.

The 408 GT’s cabin will reflect Peugeot’s ambitious upmarket shift by packing a full panoply of high-tech equipment including electronic driving aids, a heads-up display and a touch screen-based infotainment system. All but the lowest-priced trim levels will come standard with leather upholstery on the seats and chrome trim on the dashboard and on the center console.

408 GT buyers will be able to choose from a wide palette of engines borrowed from the 308 hatchback. The output of the gas-burning mills will vary between 130 and 270 horsepower, while the diesel-burning units will go from 120 to 180 ponies. Power will be sent to the front wheels via either a manual or a dual-clutch transmission.

A diesel-electric hybrid drivetrain similar to the HYbrid4 system currently offered on several Peugeot and Citroën products will round out the lineup. Made up of a diesel-burning four-cylinder and a small electric motor linked to a lithium-ion battery pack, the drivetrain will transfer power to all four wheels.

If the rumor proves true, the 408 GT will bow as a thinly-veiled concept at a major auto show in 2015 and go on sale across Europe shortly after. The car will also be sold – and possibly built – in China.

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A small, state-owned Chinese automaker called Shanxi Victory has published details about the new Jinchi X1, a pickup truck that bears more than a passing resemblance to the Avalanche-based Cadillac Escalade EXT that recently went out of production.

Up front, the Jinchi X1 gains sharp vertical headlights clearly inspired by the ones found on the last-gen Escalade, horizontal fog lights mounted in the lower bumper and a plastic radiator grille with rectangular air vents. The Jinchi X1 is designed as a work truck and it does without the Escalade’s numerous pieces of chrome trim.

The Cadillac influence fades past the A-pillar, and the rest of the body is standard work truck fare save for a BMW-inspired X1 emblem on the tailgate. The story is largely the same on the inside, where the Jinchi X1 ditches the Escalade’s lavish interior in favor of hard plastics, cloth seats and a no-frills AM/FM stereo.

Shanxi’s Cadillac lookalike is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine available with either 91 or 100 horsepower. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual transmission, and four-wheel drive might be offered at an extra cost.

The truck is scheduled to go on sale across China next year with a base price of approximately $11,500. A more expensive SUV variant of the truck will join the lineup later in the production run.

Cadillac has not commented on the truck. Taking the matter to court is a costly and complicated endeavor but it sometimes pays off: Ford managed to block China’s JAC from launching a F-150 lookalike called 4R3 at last year’s Beijing Motor Show.

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Although December is isn’t over yet, analysts suggest that Nissan could post the most improved figure when new car sales for the month are reported in early January.

The Japanese automaker’s sales are expected to grow 13 percent on a year-over-year basis to around 112,000 vehicles, a big increase over the roughly 5 percent average expected among larger automakers.

The second highest gain for the month should be Chrysler at around 8 percent, reports Edmunds, while Honda (7 percent), Hyundai/Kia (6 percent) and Ford (6 percent) will also buck the curve.

On the other hand, Volkswagen is expected to continue losing market share; its sales are anticipated to slide 9 percent over last December to around 53,600 deliveries.

Here’s a look at the full estimates courtesy of analysts at Edmunds:

• General Motors – up 0.8 percent to 247,686
• Ford Motor Company – up 5.9% to 225,543
• Toyota – up 3.6% to 201,188
• Chrysler – up 8.3% to 164,954
• Honda – up 6.5% to 141,385
• Nissan – up 13.1% to 112,326
• Hyundai/Kia – up 6% to 104,508
• Volkswagen – down 9% to 53,556

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An electrical connector in the tail lamps of more than 250,000 2008 through 2011 examples of the Mercedes-Benz could melt, which has prompted the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to launch an investigation into the compact German sports sedan.

If the electrical connector that supplies power to the tail lamps melts, it could prevent the cars’ brake lights from functioning.

NHTSA says it has received 402 complaints from owners, five of which included vehicle fires and one of which resulted in an injury. Mercedes-Benz also says that over 23,000 warranty claims have been filed as a result of the issue, but no recall has been required. Reports suggest that the problem becomes more prevalent as the vehicles get older. At this point, many of the affected vehicles are well out of their original warranty period.

The investigation means that NHTSA’s engineers will analyze the fault to determine whether a recall should be issued. NHTSA has not issued a timeline as to when it expects a resolution to the problem.

The C-Class, Mercedes’ smallest sedan sold during that period, was redesigned for the 2008 model year and refreshed for the 2012 model year. An all-new model is set to be unveiled at next month’s Detroit auto show before going on sale in mid-2014 as a 2015 model.

Mercedes-Benz is sending another variant of its iconic G-Class SUV to the great junkyard in the sky. After pulling the plug on the Cabriolet earlier this year, the automaker is now ending production of the bare-bones “Professional” Gelandewagon.

Formally known as the 461-series, the Europe-only Professional was nearly identical to the original G-Class that debuted back in 1979. It was replaced on the civilian market by the cushier, more luxury-oriented 463-series in 1990 – after which it was available only to buyers such as armed forces and rescue services – but Mercedes decided to restart sales to private customers beginning in 2010.

Looming emissions regulations are responsible for the utility’s second death, according to a Car and Driver report.

With its simple, robust design and proven off-roading chops, the Professional had been the G-Class of choice for those interested in venturing beyond the pavement. Power came from a 3.0-liter turbodiesel straight-six mill that paired with a five-speed automatic and produced 184 horsepower along with 295 lb-ft. of torque.

While the Professional and the Cabriolet have reached the end of the line, the standard G-Class is still going strong, with 2013 expected to be the more than three-decade-old model’s best-ever sales year. It isn’t likely to leave Mercedes’ lineup anytime soon.

Like many automakers, Jeep will almost certainly be forced to implement hybrid technology in order to meet stringent upcoming emissions and fuel economy regulations.

Looking to make a virtue of necessity, the SUV brand is investigating not only the mileage benefits of gas-electric powerplants, but also the potential off-roading advantages of their instantly-available torque when integrated into a serious four-wheel-drive system.

“There is a lot of opportunity there [for Jeep to pioneer hybrid off-road systems],” Steve Bartoli, Chrysler’s Asia-Pacific product planning manager, told Drive.

“We are absolutely looking at different things in that field and we are very active behind the scenes in the development of these systems and how it fits into our profile.”

While hybrid-powered Jeep models are seen as inevitable, Bartoli said there isn’t yet a timeline for their introduction.

Key concerns include electric motor reliability and battery range when traversing challenging terrain.

“We always want to make sure a Jeep can get you home,” Bartoli said.

While it determines how best to integrate hybrid technology, Jeep will continue to boost efficiency through more conventional means, such as the Grand Cherokee’s 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 and the nine-speed automatic that launched in the new Cherokee.

Photo by Mark Elias.