Maserati has given us our best look yet at its first-ever production electric car, ahead of the model’s arrival in 2023. Called the Maserati GranTurismo Folgore, it’s a fully-electric variant of the next generation.
This car will be the beginning of their all-electric future but we are also expecting a V8-powered variant when it goes on sale.
Folgore means ‘lightning’ and this nameplate will appear on all of Maserati’s future full-electric cars. The brand has now revealed specifications for the new GranTurismo, as well as a full timeline for the roll-out of its Folgore electric car range.
According to the head of product planning, Francesco Tonon, the GranTurismo Folgore will deliver “way more than 1,200bhp installed power” from its tri-motor all-wheel-drive system, which will result in a 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) time of less than three seconds and will run to a top speed of over 300 km/h (186 mph).
So what else can we expect from the Italian brand in the near future?
Next year we will see the Grecale and GranCabrio Folgore models launched and by 2025, there will be a fully electric version of its MC20 supercar, as well as all-new electric versions of its Levante SUV and Quattroporte sports saloon.
The GranTurismo and GranCabrio will still be sold with combustion engines and Tonon believes that there is still a market for combustion-engined luxury GT models. “Today, the market for an ICE version, especially on a car like that, is absolutely still there. What we are trying to do with Folgore is give the consumer a choice and a different kind of experience.”
Will there ever be a successor to the radical MC12?
When asked if a spiritual successor to the brand’s MC12 hypercar is possible Maserati’s CEO Davide Grasso said: “Short answer, yes. I am saying this with a smile because as we continue to drive the brand forward our customers will be very pleased to see what we have coming up. I don’t want to say any more about that as there’s a critical part of the plan that centres around these initiatives.”
