Maserati will outline its bold 'new era' model strategy at an event in September, rather than May as previously planned, as the European car industry enters a state of shutdown due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The event, called 'MMXX: The Way Forward', is still scheduled to take place in the firm's Modena home town and will show how the Italian brand will take its line-up of sports cars, SUVs and luxury saloons into the electric era. It has not yet been confirmed if the new MC20 supercar, described as a spiritual successor to the iconic MC12, will still be unveiled in May.
UPDATE: The MC20 has now officially been unveiled - see it here.
Maserati's electrification strategy is set to begin later this year with the launch of a hybridised version of the Ghibli saloon.
The BMW 530e rival is expected to be powered by a new plug-in petrol-electric system offering a usable all-electric range and ultra-low-CO2 figures. It will also feature level two autonomous driving capability, with Maserati intending to progress to 'hands-off' level three features in the near future.
The Ghibli will be followed in 2021 by the second-generation version of the Granturismo and Grancabrio, which will feature the brand's first fully electric powertrain. It has been previewed in a brief video and is expected to begin on-road testing in the coming months. A spokesperson confirmed to Autocar that these cars will also be available with petrol engines, but it remains unclear whether they will use an all-new motor or an evolution of the outgoing car's 4.7-litre V8.
As part of parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' €5 billion (£4.43bn) investment programme, Maserati will extensively upgrade its production facilities, but everything will continue to be built in Italy. The firm has invested €800 million (£666m) in adapting its Mirafiori factory for electric vehicle production and anticipates that the facility will "strengthen its position as a world hub dedicated to the electrification and mobility of the future, with a large proportion of its capacity allocated to the production of the brand's new electrified cars".
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More SUVs please
I know the SUV haters will decry any more of them, but they really are the only solution for Maserati. The vast majority of the market isn’t sports or saloon cars but these vehicles. It’s why the Quattroporte and almost identical, utterly invisible Ghibli are unsalable. It’s just not a market of any size. outside of the tech-rich S-Class, it’s one where a minnow like Maserati can’t play.
In my eyes the Levante is just too ugly to have worked, it was a missed opportunity.
I get the misty-eyed here want a world full of cars and view SUVs an abomination, but they won; SUVs drive 95% as well, more flexible and feel safer because of a high driving position. If Maserati were to avoid this they would continue to slide away, just faster.
I know the SUV haters will decry any more of them, but they really are the only solution for Maserati. The vast majority of the market isn’t sports or saloon cars but these vehicles. It’s why the Quattroporte and almost identical, utterly invisible Ghibli are unsalable. It’s just not a market of any size. outside of the tech-rich S-Class, it’s one where a minnow like Maserati can’t play.
In my eyes the Levante is just too ugly to have worked, it was a missed opportunity.
I get the misty-eyed here want a world full of cars and view SUVs an abomination, but they won; SUVs drive 95% as well, more flexible and feel safer because of a high driving position. If Maserati were to avoid this they would continue to slide away, just faster.
Finally some news from Maser
When it is an electric motor,