Meet the Maserati Alfieri: Italian luxury electrified

Emboldened by the relative success of Ghibli sedan and Levante SUV,  has now turned its attention to something more exotic with the announcement of a new flagship, fully-electric sport coupe: Meet the Maserati Alfieri.

The Alfieri will be underpinned by a lightweight aluminum spaceframe, part of Maserati's new modular platform. Surrounding that platform is a curvaceous body available in coupe and cabriolet configurations. Expect the new model to replace the GranTurismo and GranCabrio as the halo models in Maser's lineup.

The highlight is the new fully-electric e-AWD powertrain. This three-motor setup (presumably one front motor and two rears) will be capable of full-active torque vectoring. Maserati claims up to 50-percent better energy density from its 800-volt battery technology, which means it should be able to use a smaller, lighter battery pack while maintaining long range and fast charging times.

Specifics regarding range, charge time, horsepower and torque have not been stated, but we hope the coupe will be competitive with the Model S and Porsche Mission E called out as targets. Maserati Head Timothy Kuniskis states that the electric Alfieri Coupe and Cabriolet will boast a 2 second 100 km/h (62 mph) sprint and a max speed estimated at more than 300 km/h (186 mph). Woof.

The Alfieri's three e-motor and battery tech will also be used in fully electric versions of the upcoming new Quattroporte sedan and Levante SUV as part of the newly announced "Maserati Blue" electrification initiative.

In addition to the full-electric models, Maserati will also offer plug-in hybrid versions of the Alfieri as well as the Quattroporte, Levante and Ghibli -- all of which will see redesigns by 2022. Before the Alfieri launch, the automaker is also planning to slot an all-new unnamed mid-size SUV to the lineup below the Levante as part of Fiat Chrysler Automobile's newly outlined five-year plan.