Maserati Has Big EV Plans
Image: Maserati
Maserati doesn’t sell many cars. Sales numbers for individual models are hard to pin down, but a recent release from the company says that it sold just 24,269 vehicles worldwide in 2021. While that may not seem like a lot, the brand reports that that’s a 41 percent increase from the year prior. Because of this “success,” Maserati is pressing ahead with its EV plans. The Italian brand aims to be fully electric by 2025.
Yeah, I know, I thought the same thing: that’s pretty soon. Maserati is calling its plan Folgore, which means lighting in Italian. Folgore will also be the name of the company’s EV models. So what do these oddly quick plans entail? Six EVs debuting in the next three years; two are all new models, the other four will be new EV versions of existing models; three are coming in 2023; and the other three will arrive in 2025 along with EV versions of the rest of the lineup like the Quattroporte and Levante.
One of the first all-new models to arrive will be a midsize crossover that slots under the Levante. Called Grecale, it will be making its global debut on March 22 before going on sale in Europe in the summer. It’ll reach our shores by the fall. Gas and hybrid engines will be offered before the EV Folgore version arrives next year.
The second new model coming in 2023 will be a convertible called the GranCabrio, a top-down version of the next generation Gran Turismo.
2022 Maserati Ghibli GTImage: Maserati
Maserati is quick to point out that these new EVs have been designed, engineered, and developed in Italy and don’t use any of the new EV platforms other Stellantis brands use. The other surprising news (sort of) is the Ghibli is getting the ax. The model that was supposed to bring more buyers to the brand will get the cut simply because the brand doesn’t need that many sedans. From Motor Trend:
The midsize Ghibli sedan has been refreshed for what appears to be its last generation. With the consumer shift to SUVs from sedans (60 percent of Maserati sales are generated by the Levante alone), the brand needs a sedan, but not two sedans, Grasso says. The Quattroporte will be the only electric sedan in the future.
Hopefully, these new EVs are enough to get people’s attention.
