Maserati will finally replace its 12-year-old GranTurismo next year with a new sports car available with a battery-electric powertrain.
The new sports car was thought to be a production version of the 2014's well-received Alfieri concept, but Car Sales, citing a company insider, reported Friday that the Alfieri is dead and that the new sports car will have its own look.
“Alfieri might be dead, but what’s coming instead will blow everyone away,” the insider said. “It’s even more beautiful.”
Part of the reason could be Maserati's plan to base the sports car on a modular platform that will eventually underpin the automaker's full lineup, which may have required a change in design.
Maserati 2022 roadmap
The platform is flexible enough to support mild-hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery-electric powertrains. The move is part of the automaker's plan to offer a battery-electric powertrain on every model it sells by the end of 2022 as it looks to transform into a tech leader in the premium segment.
It means a planned Porsche Macan rival Maserati is working on will also use the new platform and not the Alfa Romeo Stelvio's platform, as was previously planned. The new SUV is due around 2021, according to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' most recent five-year plan for Maserati that was announced a year ago.
Maserati's battery-electric powertrain, branded Maserati Blue, will consist of up to three electric motors and run on 800-volt battery technology, possibly developed in partnership with Ferrari. The automaker's plug-in hybrid powertrain, meanwhile, will likely pair a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 with one or more electric motors.
Note, while the new sports car will be revealed next year, likely during March's Geneva International Motor Show, it may not be available for sale until the following year or even 2022. Production will be handled at Maserati's plant in Modena, Italy, where production of the GranTurismo will finally cease this December.
