Maserati is finally joining the electric revolution. The venerable Italian marque announced recently that its first fully battery-powered model, the GranTurismo Folgore, will go on sale next year. The EV isn’t ready for the spotlight just yet just yet, but the brand did tease what it will look like and what kind of performance we can expect.
We already knew the GranTurismo Folgore (the Italian word for lightning) was coming, of course. Maserati announced that it was working on an EV version of its beloved grand tourer back in September 2020. And now, 18 months later, it would appear the brand is ready to start showing off the fruits of its labor. Thursday’s announcement was accompanied by the release of the most intriguing images yet of the automaker’s debut EV. The new photos show a car shrouded in shadow and wrapped in camouflage, but you can clearly see that it shares a similar shape with the model’s last iteration. That’s fine by us, as the previous GranTurismo was a striking vehicle.
While it wasn’t ready to show off the finished GranTurismo Folgore, Maserati did disclose some information that’s sure to get tongues wagging. First, its all-electric powertrain will make a whopping 1,200 horses. That’s more than twice the number generated by the brand’s previous most powerful model, the 580 hp Quattroporte Trofeo. And you should be able to feel all that added power: The marque says the car will be able to launch from zero to 62 mph in three seconds flat and top out at a brisk 186 mph.
The GranTurismo Folgore will be just the first of many EVs Maserati will release in the coming years. In addition to teasing its first EV, the brand also reiterated its pledge to offer fully electric version of all its models by 2025. That means that within three years, you can expect all-electric variants of the MC20 sports car, the Quattroporte sports sedan and its two SUVs, the full-size Levante and upcoming Grecale, each of which will carry the Folgore name. By 2030, the marque says it will have stopped producing cars with internal combustion engines entirely.
Like many of its Italian peers, Maserati has finally embraced electrification. We can’t wait to see the results.
Previously published on Robb Report.
