Maserati prepares to reveal something on April 15 at 8:00 pm CEST. As to what said vehicle is, the Italian automaker has provided a single clue.
According to the video attached below, the newcomer is a Folgore, meaning that it's electric. Secondly, the House of the Trident uses three hashtags, of which #MADEINMODENA clearly stands out. Which current-generation Mazzers are produced in the Italian automaker's home city of Modena? Home city since 1940, that is, because the Maserati brothers originally operated out of Bologna.
The answer to said question is MC20, but we're not going to get the MC20 Folgore this year. At the tail end of January 2024, the company issued a press release that clearly states MC20 Folgore will drop in 2025, a large SUV in 2027, and the next-generation Quattroporte sometime in 2028.
From said press release, the following line pretty much ends all speculation in regard to what's coming on April 15: "Maserati GranCabrio Folgore is due to be launched this year, shortly after its ICE version." Considering that GranCabrio and GranTurismo are produced in Turin, the aforementioned hashtags actually refer to Maserati rather than the yet-to-be-unveiled vehicle.
The internal combustion-engined GranCabrio was revealed in late February 2024 with a familiar twin-turbo V6 connected to a torque-converter automatic transmission as opposed to the MC20's dual-clutch transaxle. Curiously enough, said transaxle is a Tremec shared with – get this – the Corvette.
Photo: Maserati
Now that we've reached a satisfying conclusion, what should prospective customers look forward to from the GranCabrio Folgore? Similar to the MC20 Folgore and the related Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, a three-motor setup with a 92.5-kWh battery. The 800-volt electrical architecture supports in the ballpark of 1,200 horsepower, but due maximum discharge capacity limitations, said electric motors are limited to 818 horsepower in boost mode.
To whom it may concern, the GranTurismo Folgore uses LG Chem-supplied pouch cells. The 2+2 grand tourer's electric motors are rated at 300 kW per unit, meaning 900 kW or 1,207 ponies. It remains to be seen, however, when the GranTurismo Folgore and soon-to-be-presented GranCabrio Folgore will be allowed to use all that power.
In standard mode, said motors are good for 751 horsepower. To put that into perspective, GM's most powerful series-production vehicle to date is the 755-horsepower C7 Corvette ZR1. Due in the summer, the C8 Corvette ZR1 will crack into the 800s thanks to a 5.5L twin-turbocharged V8.
Because it's heavier than the coupe, the convertible is probably going to need a tenth of a second more to reach 100 kilometers per hour. That's 62 miles per hour, and Maserati claims 2.7 seconds in the GranTurismo Folgore's case. Top speed? Make that 325 kilometers per hour or 202 miles per hour.
Regarding the next-generation lineup, both the SUV and Quattroporte will be fully electric by default. Both will be underpinned by the STLA Large platform of the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona and Jeep Recon. The SUV is referred to as E-UV BEV in the cited release from January 2024, with E standing for the E segment. Unless the Italian automaker chooses a different name, that would be Levante Folgore in 2027 and Quattroporte Folgore in 2028. Unfortunately, the Ghibli sedan will not survive past the current gen.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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