Maserati unveils new Grecale, announces power strategy

Six years after the presentation of the Levante, its first SUV, Maserati has just announced the launch of the Grecale, the little brother of Levante, which will begin to be marketed in the second half of the year.

As announced by the Italian manufacturer at a presentation event in Milan, the model is destined to rival cars in the style of the Porsche Macan, the BMW X4 or the Mercedes GLC.

The SUV is 4.90 meters long and is technically closely related to the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Alfa Stelvio. Its design, however, is completely new.

On the outside, it presents the look of the MC20 supercar, inside it has large screens and the Alexa voice assistant. The interior features the traditional Maserati watch face, for the first time in digital format, and new switches that replace the shift selector lever.

In addition to the new driving concept, the Maserati seeks to score points with more legroom in the rear seats, large storage areas and a generous 570 litre boot.

The engine is based on a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. The engine, equipped with soft hybrid technology, produces 221 kW/300 hp or 243 kW/330 hp, depending on

the version, and can reach a maximum speed of up to 240 km/h. According to Maserati, the fuel consumption of four-cylinder engines is 9.2 litres (CO2 emissions: 198 g/km);

according to Maserati, the consumption of four-cylinder engines is 9.2 litres (CO2 emissions: 198 g/km); the consumption of the V6 is 11.2 litres (254 g/km).

The Italian manufacturer seeks to compensate for the lack of sustainability of the Grecale with an all-electric version of the model, which was announced for 2023. This decision marks the beginning of Maserati's electrification, a strategy with which it hopes to be a fully electric car brand by 2030.

By 2025, the manufacturer plans to offer all its models in electric version. As announced by the subsidiary of the international group Stellantis at an event held in Milan, in 2030 the firm will stop producing vehicles with combustion engines.

Electric models will receive the nickname “Folgore”, which means “lightning” in Italian. The first “ray” of the Modena plant will be the new edition of the two-door GranTurismo, scheduled to be launched on the market in 2023. Soon after, the electric version of the Grecale all-rounder will follow.

According to Maserati, the new MC20 supercar and the large Levante SUV are on the agenda for 2024. The following year, the zero-emission Ghibli and Quattroporte saloons will follow.

Starting in 2025 and for another five years, Maserati plans to offer both combustion engine and electric variants in parallel. By 2030, the Italian manufacturer will have completed its transformation process and the brand's range will be fully electric.

For its electric models, Maserati announced that it will be committed to a new architecture with 800 volt technology, which should, among other things, allow the batteries of the thrusters to be charged as quickly as possible. This concept includes up to three engines: one on the front axle and two on the rear axle.

dpa