Maserati caves, plans to add traditional automatic transmission to Quattroporte

Maserati will add a fully automatic transmission into its Quattroporte lineup after complaints from potential and current customers about the semiautomatic gearbox. The Ferrari-developed manumatic presently in production is electrohydraulic and basically functions like a manual gearbox sans clutch, albeit shifted via steering wheel paddles. Owners of such vehicles can switch into an available automatic mode, but drivers and journalists alike have long complained that  the present system is about as smooth as a Lotus Elise tackling the Rubicon.

The smoother, more traditional automatic should round out the Quattroporte nicely, making it more competitive against the likes of BMW's 7-Series and the Mercedes' new S-Class, both of which boast advanced automatic transmissions.