Maserati has released a brand new SUV, called the Maserati Grecale, and it will be coming with an all-electric version. The Grecale is the Italian brand's second SUV and its first vehicle available with an all-electric powertrain.
For those not quite ready yet to make the shift to electric, Maserati said it would be making the Grecale available in three different gasoline-powered variants - a high-performance version with a V6 engine, a four-cylinder version, and a version with a mild hybrid system. Maserati will be distinguishing the different variants by calling them different names. The fully-electric version by calling it the Maserati Grecale Folgore, while the gas-powered versions will be called the Grecale Trofeo.
The Grecale is a smaller version of Maserati's Levante SUV, which had accounted for 59% of the company's global sales last year. The Grecale, like the Levante and Ghibli sedans, is named after a known wind system. The Grecale is the name given to an easterly Mediterranean breeze, while Folgore means lightning in Italian.
The Grecale Folgore electric car is part of the Italian luxury brand's long-term aim to sell entirely electric vehicles. Maserati had joined a number of other premium automakers, including Bentley and Jaguar, in declaring a transition to purely electric vehicles.
The gas-powered Grecale Trofeo will be equipped with a 523 horsepower version of the engine found on the company's MC20 supercar. Maserati claimed that the gas-powered SUV would be able to accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in just 3.6 seconds and reach a peak speed of 177 mph. Maserati has not yet revealed the electric Grecale Folgore's horsepower or performance stats.
A mild-hybrid system will be available in four-cylinder Grecales to boost fuel economy and performance. A 325-horsepower version of that system will be available for the Grecale Modena, while a 296-horsepower version will be available for the Grecale GT, which is effectively the standard model. In the United States, the Grecale GT will start at $63,500. Other models of the Grecale were not priced by Maserati.
The all-electric SUV will start to go on sale next year, while the gas-powered versions will be available later this year.
The unveiling of the Grecale Tuesday kicks off the company's journey to achieving its goal of becoming fully electric by 2030. Maserati said that it plans to make all of its current models available with all-electric versions by 2025.
Maserati CEO Davide Grasso revealed during a presentation that new, entirely redesigned versions of the Quattroporte sedan and Levante SUV, including all-electric variants, will be available by 2025. He added that the smaller Ghibli sedan would be phased out since there is no longer sufficient market interest for the sedan.
