Electric without lightning: Maserati goes electric

Date: 16.04.2024 | Reading time: 3 minutes

SPX/Rimini. The sun is shining outside and the temperature is raising the prospect of summer, which will be long and hot here in Rimini. But inside, lightning flashes in the room and there is a thunderous atmosphere. It’s just that there is no thunder to be heard, no rain is falling and everyone is beaming with confidence – because Maserati is practicing to leave in a new era and if something happens here, it will not be cloudy, but traditional. Finally, one of the most interesting full-power brands is now finally throwing a combustion engine, at least a V8, on the fly and is embarking on an electric journey with more commitment: there will be an electric version for every model soon. next year and they want to do it from 2028 Italians are actually only selling their Folgore models, which is named after the Italian word for electricity and is intended to make the trident a lightning rod – it is not for nothing that they have the brand logo in bronze. color.

“This begins a new chapter in Maserati’s history,” says brand boss Davide Grasso, hailing the iconic Stellantis subsidiary as the first Italian luxury brand to offer fully electric models in the Automotive Valley. “Once again, the creative and technical skills of the men and women of Maserati have come together to create the future of the brand with innovative solutions.”

First and foremost, however, leaving the new era means saying goodbye. Because the two sedans Quattroporte and Ghibli as well as the large SUV Levante are falling by the wayside, they are being removed this year and thus also the mark of the end of the eight-cylinder engine, which was previously very popular in Maserati as the V12. Rolls-Royce or W12 in Bentley. But its delivery does not match the times and the series of three old models in comparison cannot be removed over the new online security restrictions that come into force this year and will force the end of the beloved models everywhere.

After all, the successors are already visible: There will be at least one sedan and a second SUV on the large platform of the STLA company family, which is designed as an electric skateboard for a battery car, both of which will be launched by 2028.

But people with high incomes do not have to wait long for the trident to be strong. After all, the GranCoupé has been running against cars like the Porsche Taycan or the Tesla Model S since last year, and for a few weeks now there has also been the sound of an electric car under the hood of the Grecale off-road car instead. of the sound of the V6 engine and even before it enters the If they are powering the MC20 super sports car next year, now they are making a bit of an impression.

Because of the celebration of the day, brand boss Davide Grasso pulls the scarf on the GranCabrio Folgore that evening in a flood of light and launches the first large open electric car since the Tesla Roadster – 290 km/h with a speed of less than 210,000. euro and for around 450 km Equipped with various equipment, the Italians also give the Generation E fresh air and at the same time face the enthusiasm to the end of the car transparency.

There will continue to be electricity at Maserati, and perhaps competitors like Tesla and the delayed Roadster or the delayed Polestar again with the six will get the Italian thunder – only the rain can safely keep the Italians away. But at least here in Rimini we can’t expect that to happen again until autumn.