When you hear the word “Maserati,” what comes to mind? A car, right? If you quickly think of the Quattroporte or Ghibli, Maserati has a message: “We are more than just sedans.” Maserati has done much work in the last three years to make itself stand out and find its identity again. The company made its own “Nettuno” twin-turbo V-6 engine, which changed its engine partnership with Ferrari in a big way. The Nettuno is already in some of the automaker’s current models but wants to do more than stay in the engine area. Bill Peffer, the CEO of Maserati USA, sat down with us to discuss the brand’s plans for the future and how they will affect current and possible customers. Peffer said the 2020 MC20 began Maserati’s transition from a “sedan-based performance company” to a “provider of luxury SUVs and supercars.” Peffer says that Maserati could turn things around in 18 months because it was at the “tip of the spear” of its parent business, Stellantis. Maserati does not make any electric cars. Maserati is unlikely to switch from internal combustion engines (ICE) to hybrids to battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) like other companies are doing. Peffer says, “We decided not to use a transitional technology, especially in the U.S.,” so we switched to battery power entirely. Why would Maserati choose BEVs over hybrids? Peffer says that making a hybrid system for the new models would require a third investment on top of those made for the Nettuno engine and Maserati’s future electric vehicle base. The company decided to skip the step in the middle and focus on E.V. technology instead. The main reason for making this choice was to save time and money. Maserati’s Electric Vehicle Future Since hybrid cars are no longer possible, what specific plan will Maserati have for BEVs? Models that are made from scratch? We were brave enough to say that our new cars will run on batteries only starting in 2020. During this conversation, Peffer said that the GranTurismo Folgore BEV would be sold in the United States in “the next few months.” The CEO said the Grecale SUV would be available in the U.S. by the end of 2023 or the beginning of the first quarter 2024. After the Grecale, the next model to get a BEV version will be the MC20. However, Maserati is still determining when this will happen because the ICE supercar sells out quickly each year. Peffer says that Maserati built a platform that can work with ICE and E.V. to not “sully the design” that customers like. This suggests that Maserati used a “T”-shaped chassis to store the batteries instead of the “skateboard” chassis used by many other famous E.V.s. Instead of sitting on top of a battery tube, people in this arrangement sit on either side. So, the experts could keep the center of mass and set up a weight balance 50/50. The GranTurismo Folgore is only 3 millimetres taller than the ICE version because the batteries are stored in a T-shape. The setup might not be as good as other famous E.V.s because it has a shorter range. Maserati says the GranTurismo Folgore will have a range of 250 miles, less than the base form of the Form 3. Of course, the Folgore will be much faster and more beautiful. Even so, we are still talking about a high-end car. Peffer says that no one needs a Maserati to get around. We say that not everyone can join us. We did ask Maserati about their plans to use Tesla’s NACS charging station in 2025. Peffer says that infrastructure is a vital part of the acceptance curve for electrification. I am not allowed to say who we have talked to, but this is one of the things that must be taken care of. The V-8 is celebrated. In 2024 After 2024, Maserati will not sell cars with Ferrari V-8 engines anymore. Instead, it will use its own Nettuno V-6 and electric motors. On the other hand, Maserati wants to send them off in style. One of the last Ferrari V-8 cars will be the 2024 Maserati Ghibli 334 Ultima. Another will be a limited-edition Levante. Both cars will be shown for the first time in North America at Pebble Beach in August. Peffer says that after the limited editions of the Ghibli, Levante, and Quattroporte are sold out, Maserati will “sunset” the Ghibli, Levante, and Quattroporte in their present forms. From then on, the Grecale, GranTurismo, and MC20 will be the only top-of-the-line Maserati cars. In the future, each vehicle will have a “Folgore” E.V. version that will be the top trim level for that model. We tried to get Peffer to say something about a three-row SUV in the future, but he kept quiet. We are sure that Maserati will make a bigger SUV at some point. Maserati used to be known as a copy of Ferrari, but now it makes a line of high-end SUVs, fast G.T. cars, and supercars, all of which come in electric vehicle versions. Maserati’s new direction has yet to be seen how well it will be accepted. How many people are interested in buying electric cars from an Italian company that makes exhaust sounds that sound like symphonies? We have yet to determine, but it is clear that Maserati is taking chances.
