Maserati plans to have an electric version of all of its supersport models by 2025 and phase out all petrol engines by 2030, despite the famous roar of a sports car engine being one of the main reasons car enthusiasts buy them.
The Italian sports car company, which has lagged behind rivals Ferrari and Lamborghini in recent years, says it will offer electric versions of all its cars by 2025 and plans to phase out petrol engines entirely by 2030.
“This is the touchdown point,” Maserati CEO Davide Grasso said of the eight-year project. “This will affect different parts of the world at different speeds, depending on how fast different markets move towards the future of electrification that is already here.”
He also told reporters at a press conference in Milan on Thursday that the new range of electric cars, called Folgore, will include the next-generation GranTurismo sports coupe, an electric version of the Levante and Grecale SUVs, and other similar luxury sports cars. convertibles.
All-electric models of the MC20 two-seat, Ghibli sports sedan and Quattroporte are also planned for 2025.
Now that those deadlines are approaching, Maserati will compete against other luxury sports car brands including Porsche, Ferrari and Lamborghini, which have already announced their own electrification plans.
The upcoming GranTurismo will be Maserati’s first electric car as luxury car makers plan to phase out all of their internal combustion engines by 2030, paving the way for clean energy solutions.
The Ghibli hybrid was only released in Europe last year, and the 2021 version has a starting price of $74,740.
However, the transition to electric vehicles has been especially slow for luxury car makers, as renters and buyers still tend to crave loud, roaring V8 and V12 engines.
Car enthusiasts say that buying a sports car is often driven by passion, and that buyers care less about a silent, battery-powered engine than the thrilling sound of a big internal combustion engine picking up speed.
Tesla has only ever offered electric vehicles, which means it won’t suffer the same problem, but traditional car makers are likely to face opposition from drivers when switching to a new model.
Maserati first unveiled its environmental plan in November 2020 but stumbled to switch two years due to its parent company’s disinterest in electric vehicles during the tenure of Sergio Marchionne, who was head of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (now Stellantis) from 2014 until his death . death in 2018.
Maserati CEO Davide Grasso said the eight-year project “will depend on how quickly different markets move towards the future of electrification that is already here.”
However, the over €200,000 ($222,000) supercar MC20 was first unveiled in 2020 to spearhead Maserati’s coup, solidifying the group’s presence in the high-end car market.
Maserati’s first battery electric vehicle (BEV) will be the new $150,980 to $164,980 GranTurismo that debuts in 2023, while the Grecale and Ghibli will also be available in EV version later next year.
Maserati, which will unveil its new $40,000 Grecale SUV next week, aims to offer an all-electric version of every model, including the MC20, called the Folgore, by 2025, and it will be all-electric by 2025. 2030.
Grasso said that future models will be based on the Maserati platform, but then the brand will be part of a wider technological convergence within the Stellantis group.
“However, we must strive for the uniqueness of Maserati and its high performance,” he said.
The Grecale SUV, which starts at $40,000, will go on sale next week, with deliveries to EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Asia) starting in the summer. The electric car will go on sale in the US later
Grecale deliveries will begin in the summer in the EMEA region and immediately after that in the US.
Maserati, a separate division of Stellantis, delivered 24,200 vehicles last year, up 7.3% from 2020.
“We have a sales trajectory, but we focus more on profitability and product quality,” Grasso said.
Maserati is a discreet rival to Ferrari
Founded in 1914 in Bologna, Italy, the luxury car manufacturer has been owned by Stellantis since 2021, which also owns 16 other car brands including Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroën, Dodge, DS, Fiat, Fiat Professional, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati , Mopar, Opel, Peugeot, Ram and Vauxhall.
The Italian luxury car manufacturer was once owned by Ferrari from 1993 to 2005, between two Fiat ownership periods.
Its CEO is Davide Grasso and is now headquartered in Moderna, Italy.
Its emblem is a red trident and some of its more famous models include the Ghibli, Quattroporte and GranTurismo.