It’s clear now that as of 2030 there can be no more brand new petrol or diesel vehicles on sale in the UK, which leaves 10 years for manufacturers to get their skates on and switch to sustainable powered alternatives. 10 years may seem like a long time but Maserati aren’t sitting around twiddling their thumbs, as they are looking to electrify their entire model lineup within the next 5 years.
Davide Grasson, the head of Maserati, said: “All vehicles of Fiat Chrysler’s premium brand Maserati will be electrified, either hybrid or full-electric, in the next five years, the unit’s chief executive said on Thursday.”
“The new Gran Turismo and Gran Cabrio models will be electrified too, all our line-up will be electrified in the next five years,”
The Ghibli saloon is the first model to receive an electrified powertrain in the Maserati lineup. The Ghibli uses a 48v mild hybrid system combined with a 2.0 litre 4-cylinder engine to create a combined 325 horsepower and 332 lb ft of torque. Maserati claim that this mild hybrid system is able to deliver the performance that buyers would expect from their famous V6 engines, only with 25% more efficiency. This new engine setup allows the Ghibli Hybrid to cover 0-62 mph ina swift 5.7 seconds and on to a top-speed of 158 mph.
The Ghibli Hybrid is on sale right now and prices start from £58,220
It appears that at this stage Maserati are playing with the idea of Plug-in Hybrid vehicles but for the time being mild-hybrids will be the first step toward a fully electrified lineup. This more progressive approach to going fully electric is also in keeping with the fact that infrastructure across the world needs to be vastly improved before fully electric cars are a viable option for everyone.
We’d imagine the next model to be given a dose of electricity will be the Levante SUV which is currently on sale with prices from £64,635. The SUV market, as we all know, is big business for manufacturers right now and a number of competitors have already entered the market with mild-hybrid SUVs, so it would make sense for Maserati to follow suit in due course.