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| Maserati offers a range of luxury electric cars |
Italian luxury car maker Maserati has announced a range of electric cars called the Fulgur, including the next-generation GranTurismo, an electric version of the Levante, the all-new Grecali and several luxury sports cars and convertibles.
The company said it will offer electric versions of all its models by 2025. It will also move to selling electric cars by 2030.
CEO David Grasso noted that the automaker also plans to phase out sales of internal combustion engine vehicles by 2030. But that depends on the individual market and customer needs.
With this in mind, Maserati claims to be the first luxury brand to complete its electric range by 2025.
Other luxury sports car manufacturers such as Porsche, Ferrari and Lamborghini have already announced their electrification plans.
With the Taycan, Porsche launched its first model. But the luxury automaker's transition to electrification has been relatively slow. Most of these companies still focus on V8 and V12 engines.
The company has been groping in the electric car industry for some time. This may be due to the lax attitude of parent company Fiat Chrysler (now Stellantis), which largely ignored electric cars during the Sergio Marchionne era.
Maserati changed course in 2019, launching a range of electric models, including battery-powered versions of the GranTurismo and GranCabriolet, as well as an electric sports car and an unnamed electric SUV. Last year, Maserati also announced a hybrid version of the Ghibli, available only in Europe.
These plans are now more targeted. The GranTurismo will be the first electric car in the Fulgur lineup.
The electric GranTurismo will be produced at the company's Mirafiori plant in Turin, Italy, which recently received a 700 million-euro ($807 million) upgrade to prepare it for electric vehicle production.
The GranTurismo uses driving technology from Formula E and will go on sale in 2023.
Maserati promises electrification by 2030
The electric GranTurismo is powered by three electric motors that produce more than 1,200 horsepower. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km / h in just over two seconds and has a top speed of 300 km / h.
The car is built for speed with lightweight materials. Maserati will unveil a new electric car later this month, the Grecale. The car is scheduled to go on sale in 2023.
According to the head of global product planning, Grecale is the benchmark in terms of range, performance, acceleration, load time and top speed.
The rest of the Fulgur range will be added in the coming months, including the electric MC20 Spyder, Quattroporte and Levante.
The loss of engine sound that Maserati encountered when converting to an electric car was one of its main features.
Some automakers have added artificial sounds to explain the lack of an internal combustion engine. But Maserati says it won't take the same route.
The company has also confirmed plans to develop Level 3 autonomous driving technology for the Quattroporte. This means that the car is able to drive on certain roads without human supervision.
The company's CEO has described the switch to electric vehicles as a game-changer for the century-old automaker.
Maserati did not provide any information on the expected price of the new electric car. Their current older models range in price from about $78,000 to over $200,000.