Every major global carmaker, especially those in Europe, have announced electrification plans that will see their brand going fully electric or having a mix of hybrid electric and battery electric (BEV) models. This is an industry-wide move to address climate change and environmental issues, and the auto industry is responding by switching to vehicles with electrified powertrains that generate very low or zero emissions. There is an urgency so the end of this decade is set as the target for completing the changes.
Maserati will be the first among the Italian luxury car brands to produce full-electric models, with the first one to be launched in 2023 and an aim to be the first to complete its electric line-up by 2025. All the fully electric models will be developed, engineered and entirely produced in Italy and form the new Folgore range (‘folgore‘ is Italian for ‘lightning’).
A prototype of the Gran Turismo Folgore was shown at the recent Formula e-Prix in Rome, Italy. It was driven by Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis, which Maserati is part of.
The first model will be the Gran Turismo Folgore, a coupe which the company says will have ‘cutting-edge technical solutions, superb performance, comfort and elegance’. Technical details are not revealed yet although it is believed that the powertrain will have 3 motors and a total output of up to 1,200 ps.
Maserati has given assurance that while exhaust emissions will fall to zero, one iconic element of the cars with the Trident will still be present: the distinctive growl. Of course, the equivalent for electric motors would usually be a high-pitched whine so it will be interesting to see how the engineers incorporate that familiar adrenalin-pulsing roar.
The Grecale Folgore.
Following the Gran Turismo Folgore will be the Grecale Folgore, which is a fully electric variant of the second Maserati SUV model. It will have a 105-kW/h battery pack using 400V technology and two motors which will generate a total of up to 800 Nm of torque. This is also scheduled for launch towards the end of 2023 so it might go on sale only in 2024.
For 2025 or 2026, the next generation of the Quattroporte sedan and Levante SUV will make their debut and are likely to be only available with electric powertrains. By then, as mentioned earlier, Maserati will have every model in its range electrified. The other target for the end of the decade would be when it no longer has a combustion engine powertrain in any of its models.
Next year, Maserati will partner the ROKIT Venturi team to participate in the Formula E World Championship for all-electric single-seaters.
As part of its journey onwards to electrification, Maserati will also make its debut in the next season of Formula E (season 9) next year. It will be the first Italian brand to enter Formula E and its partner will be the ROKiT Venturi Racing team, already successfully running in the series. Season 9 will see a new generation of racing cars that have a range of innovations in terms of design, production and technology.
Keyword: Fully electric Folgore models to dominate Maserati’s range by the end of the decade