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Maserati makes 328-foot-long trident with 80 Grecale test mules

Maserati delayed the launch of the Grecale, its long-awaited second SUV, from November 2021 to the spring of 2022, but that doesn't mean the test mules and the engineers tasked with driving them are taking a sabbatical. The company is still testing prototypes all over the world, and it brought 80 pre-production models fully draped in camouflage to a test track in Modena, Italy, to create a giant trident emblem. Over 250 development models are racking up miles in Italy, Finland, the United Arab Emirates, China, Japan and the United States, according to the Italian firm. About a third of them gathered near the company's home town to form the 328-foot trident. It's a stunt that allowed Maserati to release a handful of cool images, but it teaches us little about the Levante's baby brother, which will be aimed at the Porsche Macan. Luckily, Maserati also released a couple of images that show four prototypes parked in front of the Milan Cathedral. We can tell that the Grecale borrows a handful of styling cues from the MC20; it's not simply a scaled-down Levante. Its headlights are oval and nearly vertical (the Levante's are thin and almost horizontal) and its grille looks wider and thinner. Earlier spy shots suggest that the Grecale wears a roofline that leans more towards sport than utility; it's not a utilitarian people-hauler with the proportions of a school bus. Unverified reports claim that Maserati will build the Grecale on an evolution of the Giorgio platform that underpins Alfa Romeo's Stelvio and Giulia models. If that's accurate, rear-wheel drive will likely come standard (at least in some markets) and all-wheel drive will be offered at an extra cost. We're guessing that four- and six-cylinder engines will be available, though full specifications haven't been published yet, and Maserati previously confirmed that a high-performance version worthy of the Trofeo emblem will join the range at some point.  More details about the Maserati Grecale will emerge in the coming months.  Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Maserati Grecale announced as new compact crossover set to debut next year

Maserati is on a roll right now, and the Italian brand has just teased another new model: Grecale. Judging by the silhouette (and the information Maserati provided), it’s a smaller SUV than the Levante. Think Porsche Macan or BMW X3 size. Its stubby nose, small body and short overhangs all make it appear much smaller. The name “Grecale” is derived from the name for the north-east wind from the Mediterranean Sea. It seems Â…. fine. It sounds a lot better if you say it with Italian pronunciation, as opposed to an American gre-kale. Naming the Grecale after a wind is normal for Maserati. The Mistral, Ghibli, Levante, Bora, Merak and Khamsin are all named after famous winds, too. One final detail Maserati provided is the most telling of all, though. ItÂ’ll be built at FCAÂ’s Cassino, Italy, plant, which is the current home of Giulia and Stelvio production. The takeaway here is that itÂ’ll be a Stelvio-based crossover riding on the Giorgio platform. From a performance standpoint, that is fantastic. The Stelvio Quadrifoglio is one of the best-driving crossovers in the world, and a Maserati version of this car sounds like a recipe for success. WeÂ’re not sure how much the two will share at this stage, but now that Maserati has a firecracker of a V6 with the Nettuno, it can use its own engine for propulsion. Maserati claims the “Grecale is destined to play a leading role for the brand,” so weÂ’re expecting to be impressed when it debuts. ThereÂ’s more than just the Grecale to look at here, though. Maserati also flashed a silhouette of the next Gran Turismo that is coming in 2021. Most of it is left to our imagination, but weÂ’re happy to see Maserati is revamping its whole lineup. The Grecale is truly the big news of the day, especially since crossovers continue to be a seriously hot commodity. Watch out for a debut next year sometime. Related Video:

Mid-engined, 621-horsepower MC20 inaugurates a new era for Maserati

No longer embedded in the gap separating Alfa Romeo and Ferrari, Maserati is preparing to give its range of models an overhaul that's so comprehensive it merits its own chapter in the firm's history. The first car in this installment isn't a volume-generating crossover or a politically correct electric car (though, fear not, both are coming soon). It's a mid-engined, 621-horsepower coupe designed with an unabashed focus on performance. Called MC20, it will join a segment dominated by Lamborghini, McLaren, and former sister company Ferrari. Maserati explained developing the MC20 took about two years thanks in part to software-based simulation testing that saves the firm a significant amount of time and money. 97% of dynamic tests were performed using simulator designed in-house, and engineers then fine-tuned the car by testing it in real-world road and track conditions around the world. Lap times were extremely important, because the MC20 was built to race. We'll need to wait to find out where it will compete, and what it will look like in full racing regalia. Maserati has only unveiled the street-legal variant, which wears a low-mounted oval grille, swept-back headlights, and triangle-shaped rear lights. All of the brand's defining characteristics are accounted for, and stylists intentionally weaved a handful of subtle references to the MC12 built in 2004 and 2005 into the design. Viewed from the side, it wears the typical proportions we expect from a mid-engined supercar. It upholds Italy's well-earned reputation for creating poster-worthy supercars that blur the line between transportation and art Da Vinci would be proud of. Slightly bigger in person than in photos, the 3,306-pound MC20 stretches 184 inches from end to end, 77 inches wide and 48 inches tall. Its cargo capacity checks in at 1.8 cubic feet in the frunk and 3.5 cubes in the trunk. For context, the 3,423-pound Lamborghini Huracan measures 176, 76 and 46, respectively. And, for another mid-engined point of reference, the 2,943-pound Porsche 718 Cayman measures 172, 71 and 51, respectively.  Maserati chose not to give the MC20 active aerodynamic components, though the coupe depends on a small, neatly integrated rear spoiler for downforce, and it relied extensively on carbon fiber to keep weight in check. It also installed butterfly doors, but they're more functional than their made-for-Instagram flair suggests.