Currently reading: Maserati postpones bold brand relaunch until September
Coronavirus outbreak prompts brand to push back the start of its so-called 'new era'

Maserati will outline its bold 'new era' model strategy at an event in September, rather than May as previously planned, as the European car industry enters a state of shutdown due to the coronavirus outbreak.  

The event, called 'MMXX: The Way Forward', is still scheduled to take place in the firm's Modena home town and will show how the Italian brand will take its line-up of sports cars, SUVs and luxury saloons into the electric era. It has not yet been confirmed if the new MC20 supercar, described as a spiritual successor to the iconic MC12, will still be unveiled in May. 

UPDATE: The MC20 has now officially been unveiled - see it here.

Maserati's electrification strategy is set to begin later this year with the launch of a hybridised version of the Ghibli saloon.

The BMW 530e rival is expected to be powered by a new plug-in petrol-electric system offering a usable all-electric range and ultra-low-CO2 figures. It will also feature level two autonomous driving capability, with Maserati intending to progress to 'hands-off' level three features in the near future. 

The Ghibli will be followed in 2021 by the second-generation version of the Granturismo and Grancabrio, which will feature the brand's first fully electric powertrain. It has been previewed in a brief video and is expected to begin on-road testing in the coming months. A spokesperson confirmed to Autocar that these cars will also be available with petrol engines, but it remains unclear whether they will use an all-new motor or an evolution of the outgoing car's 4.7-litre V8. 

Maserati granturismo 1 0

As part of parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' €5 billion (£4.43bn) investment programme, Maserati will extensively upgrade its production facilities, but everything will continue to be built in Italy. The firm has invested €800 million (£666m) in adapting its Mirafiori factory for electric vehicle production and anticipates that the facility will "strengthen its position as a world hub dedicated to the electrification and mobility of the future, with a large proportion of its capacity allocated to the production of the brand's new electrified cars". 

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The flagship MC20 supercar, however, will be built at Maserati's headquarters in Modena. It is expected to be launched later this year in fully electric form, before becoming available with a high-output hybrid powertrain and potentially a pure-petrol option.

In 2021, a new SUV will be launched to sit below the Maserati Levante. Said to play a "leading role for the brand thanks to its innovative technologies", it requires the construction of a new production line that will open next spring. The first pre-series cars will emerge early in 2021. A convertible version of the Alfieri will arrive that year, too. 

Still unconfirmed but previewed in a leaked product plan last year will be an all-new Levante and Maserati Quattroporte saloon, due in 2023. 

Construction of a new paint shop, which is claimed to be "equipped with innovative, low enivironmental impact technologies", has already begun in Modena. This will even allow Maserati customers to watch their car going through the paint process. A further development is a dedicated customisation workshop.

Read more: 

Maserati plans shake-up to combat sales slump

New Maserati MC20: 2020 sports car named

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Cersai Lannister 14 February 2020

More SUVs please

I know the SUV haters will decry any more of them, but they really are the only solution for Maserati. The vast majority of the market isn’t sports or saloon cars but these vehicles. It’s why the Quattroporte and almost identical, utterly invisible Ghibli are unsalable. It’s just not a market of any size. outside of the tech-rich S-Class, it’s one where a minnow like Maserati can’t play. 

 

In my eyes the Levante is just too ugly to have worked, it was a missed opportunity.

 

I get the misty-eyed here want a world full of cars and view SUVs an abomination, but they won; SUVs drive 95% as well, more flexible and feel safer because of a high driving position. If Maserati were to avoid this they would continue to slide away, just faster. 

I know the SUV haters will decry any more of them, but they really are the only solution for Maserati. The vast majority of the market isn’t sports or saloon cars but these vehicles. It’s why the Quattroporte and almost identical, utterly invisible Ghibli are unsalable. It’s just not a market of any size. outside of the tech-rich S-Class, it’s one where a minnow like Maserati can’t play. 

In my eyes the Levante is just too ugly to have worked, it was a missed opportunity.

I get the misty-eyed here want a world full of cars and view SUVs an abomination, but they won; SUVs drive 95% as well, more flexible and feel safer because of a high driving position. If Maserati were to avoid this they would continue to slide away, just faster. 

mckmcr 27 September 2019

Finally some news from Maser

Small sports car for me. Rest is not relevant espevially the SUVs - when will this weird craze finish? Theyre pointless.
eseaton 26 September 2019

When it is an electric motor,

When it is an electric motor, Peter, you will certainly be correct.