2005 Flat Black Maserati Coupe Cambiocorsa on 2040-cars

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Lightning strikes behind the grille of Maserati's first hybrid model

Maserati's first production-bound hybrid powertrain will be inaugurated by the Ghibli, its entry-level model. The Italian firm released a short preview video to announce the model's imminent global debut. Posted on its official Facebook page, the 10-second-long video shows the front end of a Ghibli with blue lightning crashing across its grille, a feature that will presumably not be available on the production car. Although it doesn't reveal the hybrid's final design, let alone what's behind the grille, the flick confirms the gasoline-electric Ghibli will not look drastically different than the gasoline-only model. Minor trim differences will set the two sedans apart. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. As we've previously reported, we expect the Ghibli will receive a plug-in hybrid drivetrain (rather than mild or standard hybrid technology) capable of powering it on electricity alone for short distances. It will stand proud as the first in a long line of electrified Maserati models, because every car the brand releases in the coming years will incorporate some degree of electrification. Additional hybrid models are in the pipeline, and the replacements for the GranTurismo and GranCabrio due out in 2021 and 2022, respectively, will be Maserati's first electric cars. Maserati will introduce the hybrid Ghibli online on July 16 at 1 p.m. in Modena, Italy, which is 7 a.m. in New York City and 4 a.m. in Los Angeles. Additional information (including details about American availability) will be published right after the car breaks cover, and deliveries are tentatively scheduled to start before the end of 2020. What's next? The on-going COVID-19 pandemic side-tracked Maserati's plans, but 2020 remains on track to become one of the most significant years in the company's 106-year long history. It's putting the final touches on a mid-engined coupe tentatively called MC20 that will receive a new, 630-horsepower V6 engine developed in-house. The two-seater's unveiling is now scheduled for September 2020, and it will hit the track shortly after its introduction.

Maserati's sub-Quattroporte sedan spotted testing

The spy photogs at CarPix have caught the upcoming small sedan from Maserati to slot under the Quattroporte, rumored to be dubbed Levante, out testing. The spy shots frankly don't tell us much more than that, since the mule is wrapped in an ill-fitting Quattroporte body giving away little more than a shorter wheelbase and smaller brakes.
The Levante, if that's what it's called, will be Maserati's entry into the luxury mid-sized sedan segment to compete with the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Audi A6 and BMW 5 Series. Said to arrive late next year, it will have its luxury ducks in a row, supposedly offering a twin-turbo V6, a V8 and a 300-horsepower diesel with 500 pound-feet of torque.
Questions about engines and their provenance remain; the next Quattroporte is getting a Ferrari-sourced supercharged V6 and turbocharged V8, but it is wondered if the Levante's V6 might come from the other side of the Fiat stable, namely Chrysler. No matter where the motors come from, though, they'll be run through an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission.

330-horsepower Ghibli Hybrid is Maserati's first electrified model

Maserati kicked off its electrification campaign by releasing a hybrid version of the Ghibli, its entry-level model. The sedan gains a mild hybrid system, subtle visual tweaks, and many technology upgrades inside. Unveiled online, the brand's first production-bound electrified car features a gasoline-electric powertrain built around a turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. It works jointly with a 48-volt belt-driven starter-generator and what the company calls an e-booster that's essentially an electric supercharger. The system's total output checks in at 330 horsepower at 5,750 rpm and 332 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm, and it channels its power to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission and a limited-slip differential. Maserati quotes a 5.7-second sprint from zero to 62 mph, and a 159-mph top speed. While fuel economy figures are still being finalized, preliminary estimates peg the Hybrid's fuel consumption at about 27.6 mpg in a combined cycle, a figure which — if accurate — makes it less efficient than the 31.3-mpg diesel model it will replace. Adopting 48-volt technology was the best way to electrify the Ghibli, according to the brand. "We thought about a plug-in option for the Ghibli, but when you put a lot of batteries — and a lot of other stuff — into the car, it adds weight and it's going to jeopardize the performance and the fun-to-drive quotient that is key for Maserati. I'm not saying this to diminish the good points of the plug-in hybrid technology, but it's not the best solution here," Francesco Tonon, Maserati's head of global product planning and marketing, told Autoblog. Tonon pointed out making the Ghibli a hybrid wasn't an excuse to make it dull; it still needed to drive and sound like a Maserati. It's 176 pounds lighter than the diesel-burning model, and it offers better weight distribution because there is a lighter engine under the hood and some of the hybrid components are installed in the back. As for the sound, Tonon proudly explained his team gave the Ghibli a unique exhaust note worthy of the storied trident emblem without resorting to an amplifier, by tweaking the system and adopting resonators. Subtle design changes set the Hybrid model apart from the non-electrified Ghibli.