As Italian luxury carmaker Maserati gets ready to release its first EV, the 1200 horsepower GranTurismo Folgore sets a new tone for the industry and makes it clear that fossil-fuel-free does not mean slow.
After first announcing its EV plans in 2020, Maserati has unveiled a first look at the GranTurismo Folgore, slated to go on sale next year.
Teasing the look and performance the car’s expected to bring, the GranTurismo Folgore appears in new photos, hiding in the shadows and camouflaged but similar to the Italian carmaker’s previous GranTurismo.
Maserati CEO Davide Grasso told reporters the EV launch, and the carmaker’s plans to go fully electric by 2030 marked a “defining moment” for the legacy automaker.
GranTurismo Folgore
According to Maserati, the GranTurismo Folgore’s electric powertrain will be its most powerful at 1,200 horsepower—more than twice that of its current title holder for most powerful, the 580 horsepower Quattroporte Trofeo. The new EV is expected to go from zero to 62 mph in three seconds, with top speeds of 186 mph.
“The Folgore full-electric strategy has been developed with customers’ requirements in mind, which remain the focus of every single product and form part of the Brand’s DNA,” the company said in a statement.
Built at the Mirafiori production hub in Italy, the car, according to Maserati, will be “a true icon for the brand.” It says the car will offer cutting-edge technical solutions derived from Formula E, as well as “superb performance, comfort and elegance, all typical of the Trident.”
Maserati says the all-new Grecale SUV, expected to launch in the coming days, will be its next EV following the GranTurismo’s launch in 2023.
The announcement makes Maserati the first luxury Italian automaker to announce a fully electric model. Italian sportscar manufacturers Ferrari and Lamborghini have both launched hybrid plug-in models, but have been slow to announce fully electric models.
Power has come to other EVs, like the Mercedes-Benz EQS can reach 60 mph in 4.3 seconds, with top speeds of 130 mph. The Tesla Roadster has it beat though, accelerating to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds and top speeds of 250 mph.
But Maserati aims to add its name to the list, and with the new powertrain in the GranTurismo, it should have no problem. It says it will “set the benchmark” in every market segment and will be “the first luxury brand to complete its electric line-up by 2025.” And by 2030, it says all models will be electrified.
“That’s the landing spot,” Grasso said of the 2030 target. “It will affect different parts of the world with a different type of speed, depending on how fast the different markets will move towards a future of electrification, which is already upon us.”
Maserati began talking about electric models with specific details in 2019, announcing its hybrid Ghibli sedan last year. The Ghibli is currently only slated for Europe.
Maserati says the MC20 super sports car, the new Quattroporte sport sedan, and the all-new full-size Levante SUV will complete the Maserati Folgore range, “to attract the new luxury consumer in all market segments.”
Mobility tech innovations
Last week, Maserati parent company, which also owns Alfa Romeo, Peugeot, and Fiat, among others, announced a €300 million fund to advance innovations to support its car brands.
“We are moving fast in our transformation to a mobility tech company while reimagining the future of mobility for generations to come,” Ned Curic, Stellantis Chief Technology Officer, said in a statement. The market is changing, the technology is changing, and the way we relate to our customers is changing. Stellantis Ventures will accelerate our transformation as we adopt new technologies developed by innovative startups, while fostering their growth potential.”
Stellantis Ventures says it will help startups integrate new technologies within the company, expediting adoption within months.
The announcement also comes on the heels of the 100-year-old carmaker’s return to racing, becoming the first Italian brand to compete in Formula E racing. It’s debuting the Gen3 sports car, which it calls the fastest, lightest, and most powerful Formula E race car ever.
“The combination of Maserati’s unrivaled racing heritage—a brand intrinsically linked with high-performance, and its innovative attitude towards electrification—aligns perfectly with the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, the world’s first all-electric road-racing motorsport series,” Maserati said in a press release.
“We are very proud to be back where we belong as protagonists in the world of racing,” Grasso said in January. “We are powered by passion and innovative by nature. We have a long history of world-class excellence in competition and we are ready to drive performance in the future. In the race for more performance, luxury, and innovation, Folgore is irresistible and it is the purest expression of Maserati.
“That’s why we decided to go back to racing in the FIA Formula E World Championship, meeting our customers in the city centers of the world, taking the Trident forward into the future.”
