Maserati Taking Diversified Approach to Vehicle Electrification
Instead of going all in on EVs, the Italian brand is aiming to respond to customer demand by continuing to invest in internal-combustion technology.
Maserati plans to go all electric by the end of the decade, but unlike rival automakers that have bet the farm on EVs, the trident brand is taking a diversified approach. Speaking with media at the new Grecale first drive event in Italy last week, Bill Peffer, the CEO of Maserati North America, said, "We are one of the few brands, mass-market, premium or luxury still making investments in two technologies, ICE [internal-combustion engines] and electrification."
This strategy is somewhat unusual these days and Peffer explained why. "The reason is pretty simple: We're adding products to the lineup and the adoption curve, which I think you all know in the US is different than other places, particularly here [in Europe], and so, we're going to let the customer choose."
By 2025, Maserati plans to offer a pure-electric version of every one of its models. This includes the new Quattroporte sedan, the Levante and soon-to-launch Grecale, and even the dreamy MC20 supercar. Five years after that, by 2030, the trident brand expects to complete its transformation by being 100% electric.
In the meantime, "We have the flexibility of ramping up, ramping down based on [customer demand]," explained Peffer. "So, it's a long horizon with a lot of runway between now and 2030, and that's why we're doing it."
The first pure-electric Maserati will be the Grecale Folgore. This battery-powered SUV is slated to launch in the fall of 2023. No, it won't have a fire-breathing engine under the hood or howling exhaust outlets at the rear, but hopefully this zero-emissions utility vehicle delivers the attributes drivers expect from a Maserati, chiefly strong performance and loads of emotion. Fortunately, the standard Grecale, which features mild-hybrid technology in the base models, is an impressive luxury SUV, so the Folgore version, with its 105-kilowatt-hour battery pack and maximum of 590 pound-feet of torque, shouldn't disappoint.