Maserati announced a major electrification push Thursday, laying out a road map that will start with a hybrid electric Ghibli in 2020.
The Ghibli sedan will be the first in a new range of electrified Maseratis, including an all-electric sports car (which will be the company's first dedicated EV), an electric crossover/SUV, and then battery-powered variants of the GranTurismo and GranCabrio.
The brand, which is part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), promised that the traditional Maserati character will be imbued on its new electrified offerings. "Maserati’s all electric models will combine traditional highly appreciated Maserati driving dynamics together with next-generation battery electric technology, offering unique driving modes, extended range and ultra-fast charging capabilities," the company said in its announcement.
While it may seem noteworthy that the Levante (crossover) and Quattroporte (larger sedan) were left out of this road map, Maserati promised that they will continue to improve its core products, which likely means that plans are afoot to bring hybrid or electric variants of these staples to market at some point down the line.
Earlier this year, Maserati's North American boss said that the brand wouldn't go all-electric any time soon, and while this announcement may seem to deviate slightly from that conviction, there is still room in the hybrid space for throaty Italian V-8s.
Maserati also provided an outline of its autonomy plans, with Level 2–equivalent highway drive assist coming to its updated lineup. Level 3, hands-off capability is just around the corner.
While the product plans were rich in electrification promises, the even louder message woven through the announcement was that Maserati will honor its commitments to Italian labor, producing all of these vehicles in its home market, rather than outsourcing. The hybrid Ghibli will be produced in Turin; the new EV will be assembled in Modena.
