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2020 Maserati Ghibli getting a hybrid powertrain, start of brand revamp

Maserati has officially announced its product plans for the next couple of years, and the company is beginning to embrace electrification. It all starts next year with the 2020 Maserati Ghibli, which will receive a hybrid powertrain. Maserati didn't specify whether it would be the only powertrain, but we would expect that it will still offer some fully gas-powered engines such as the 424-horsepower turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 in the current model. In the same year, we'll finally see Maserati's next sports car that the company has confirmed will have electric power. By all accounts, it should be the production version of the Alfieri concept that made its debut five years ago. Maserati also confirmed that the Alfieri will not replace the GranTurismo. Instead, the GranTurismo will be getting a new generation. Reports say the new GranTurismo will arrive in 2021. Maserati will also add another crossover to its lineup. Reports say it will be smaller than the Levante. We should see it sometime in 2020, since early production tests will wrap up late that year and in early 2021. Maserati didn't say specifically if there will be an electrified version, but past reports would suggest at least a hybrid will be available. Finally, Maserati mentioned that Quattroporte, Levante and Ghibli will all continue on with some updates. Expect mild facelifts and powertrain updates to them over the next couple of years, rather than a major redesign. Maserati will also be developing more advanced driver assist systems, including a system similar in scope to Cadillac Super Cruise that will allow hands-free highway driving and lane changes.

Maserati rules out smaller Macan rival

These days every luxury automaker is going after the Porsche Cayenne with a crossover of its own. Among those coming up is the Maserati Levante, which will mark the Trident marque's first foray into high-riding territory. But don't expect it to follow up with a Macan rival as well. Speaking with Autocar, Maserati chief Harald Wester ruled out the possibility of a smaller crossover to join the Levante in the Modenese automaker's lineup, ostensibly because doing so would step on the toes of other brands under the Fiat Chrysler umbrella – particularly with Alfa Romeo set to launch a crossover of its own. "We are an extremely complex multi-brand group and to have every doing a little bit of everything is not the right way," Wester told the British magazine. "In this business, you should never say 'no' in a dogmatic way, but my personal opinion is that Maserati wouldn't want to go below the Levante in size." And Wester's opinion goes a long way in the halls in Turin and Auburn Hills: he's head of both the Maserati and Alfa Romeo brands, and is also the group's Chief Technology Officer. That's something that has never seemed to deter the Volkswagen Group, though, where Bentley is gearing up to take on its sister company's Cayenne with the upcoming Bentayga and is also said to be considering a Macan rival. And that's to say nothing of other SUVs occupying similar size and price positions from Volkswagen, Audi and potentially Lamborghini. Which only serves to underline the different approaches taken by Europe's two largest automakers. Look for the Levante to debut at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show.

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.