New Grecale SUV targets Porsche as Maserati embraces EVs

September 14, 2020October 6, 2020 John Carey 3469 Views electric car, electric vehicle, folgore, grecale, maserati

By 2024 there will be a battery-powered version of every model Maserati makes, including the medium-size SUV it will add to its line-up in 2021.

The Grecale, as it will be called, shares a lot in common with the Alfa Romeo Stelvio (both brands are owned by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, soon set to become part of the new Stellantis group) and will be built in the same assembly line in the south of Italy.

The Maserati SUV will be a natural competitor for the Macan EV that Porsche is currently developing for launch next year.

But the first Maserati EV to arrive, in 2021, will be a sporty coupe, and the long-lived Italian brand says it will be a Taycan-beater.

“Stunning,” is the way Davide Danesin describes Porsche’s first-ever EV. “It’s a great car, but we want to do more than them.”

Chief engineer Davide Danesin with Maserati's 800V twin-motor rear axle assembly — Chief engineer Davide Danesin with Maserati’s 800V twin-motor rear axle assembly

Danesin is chief engineer of the new Gran Turismo range, including the version that will be Maserati’s first-ever EV.

The Gran Turismo EV will be followed by battery-powered versions of its convertible twin, the Gran Cabrio, and the recently unveiled MC20 super sports car. All will utilise advanced EV powertrain technology.

“We decided that all our 800-volt high-performance cars will be equipped with three motors,” says Danesin. “We are going to have one motor in front and two motors in the rear.”

Porsche was the first manufacturer to put a fast-charging 800-volt battery pack into production when it launched the Taycan last year. The fastest variants of the four-door coupe from Germany have only two motors, with the rear one driving through a two-speed transmission.

Maserati MC20 EV chassis from front with inverter visible

In a thinly veiled dig at Porsche, Danesin points to a key advantage of Maserati’s two-motor rear axle. “We deliver performance for the customers without any gear switch, any gear shift.” Maserati also promises its 800V battery packs will be capable of charging at rates up to 300kW, a faster rate (just) than the Taycan, at 270kW

Maserati will complete its so-called BEVolution when its existing Levante SUV and Quattroporte limo are replaced by all-new models. EV versions of both are planned.

Like BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi with i, EQ and e-Tron, the Maserati EVs will be sub-branded. The name chosen is Folgore (pronounced foll-gore-ay), Italian for thunderbolt; Maserati trademarked both Grecale and Folgore with IP Australia early in 2020.

“We have never doubted that electrified vehicles were the future of the industry,” Maserati CEO Davide Grasso told a press conference at the company’s Modena factory following the announcement of its ambitious EV plans.

But Grasso’s boss, FCA chief Mike Manley, wouldn’t say what percentage of Maserati’s production and sales were projected to be EVs by 2025, the first full year when all of them are on sale.

The exec said he expects the EV market to remain unpredictable. “He (Maserati CEO Grasso) has internal projections, but frankly I don’t think they’re worth the airtime.”

John Carey

Grew up in country NSW, way back when petrol was laced with lead. Has written about cars and the car business for more than 35 years, working full-time and freelance for leading mags, major newspapers and websites in Australia and (sometimes) overseas. Avidly interested in core EV technologies like motors and batteries, and believes the switch to electromobility definitely should be encouraged. Is waiting patiently for someone to make a good and affordable EV that will fit inside his tiny underground garage in northern Italy, where he's lived for the past decade. Likes the BMW i3, but it's just too damned wide...