2015 Maserati Gran Turismo Mc Convertible on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Maserati says no to all-electric future, says U.S. chief

The future internal combustion remains questionable as automakers push for electrification. But not for Maserati, according to a report from Motor Trend on an investor call discussing first-quarter earnings. According to the outlet, FCA CEO Michael Manley and Maserati North America's head honcho, Al Gardner, made it known on the call that Maserati does not have any plans to say goodbye to good 'ol gasoline power. Rather, the company is planning to embrace electrification in different ways, such as hybridization. "This is a brand that needs combustion engines. It needs that raw emotion," Gardner told reporters at the conference. He also noted it's important for the company to get "back to its roots," citing the company's start with race cars before offering consumer vehicles. Maserati's electrification will begin as part of its model line overhaul leading up to 2022 that is also supposed to help reverse Maserati's slumping sales. Gardner noted that a new sports car will mark the start of the revamp, and we expect it will be a production version of the hotly anticipated and very sexy Alfieri Concept car. We may even see the car at Geneva next year. After that will be a new crossover smaller than the Levante, along with hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants with a few select electric vehicles. Maserati won't be the only automaker embracing electrification, as Jaguar, Volkswagen and Porsche are all pushing toward the new powertrain technology. Unlike Maserati, some of these brands are going all-in on electric cars. Volkswagen will release its last new internal combustion engine in 2026. Volvo's Polestar brand will only have pure EVs after the Polestar 1 sports car.

Maserati switching to in-house twin-turbo V6 and turbo four

Automotive News has been able to put some output figures to the two primary engines that will power Maserati's renaissance. Last year the Italian luxury brand sent notice that it would terminate its deal to with Ferrari to use the Maranello-sourced F160 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 and F154 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8. As new Maserati models appear and current models are overhauled, the brand will begin installing either Maserati's own 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6, or an FCA-sourced 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. The V6 will greet the world from the middle of the MC20 supercar poised for debut in September, assuming nothing goes worse with the world than it already has. Rumor from Mopar Insiders and Allpar forums is that Maserati began building its V6 based on Alfa Romeo's 690T V6. Alfa Romeo puts the 690T in the Stelvio and Giulia Quadrifoglio, the engine's development having started seven years ago with Ferrari's F154 V8 as its heart. Tuned for speed, peak output could reach 542 horsepower. After making its home in the racy coupe, the V6 will also serve a new midsize Maserati crossover coming next year, as well as the next GranTurismo coupe and GranCabrio convertible. In the crossover, power is apparently limited to no more than 523 horses. In Maserati's new V6, one piece of technology that permits such high output and emissions friendliness is turbulent jet ignition (TJI). German supplier Mahle has been developing the technology for at least 10 years, and put it to use in Ferrari's Formula 1 engine about five years ago, after which Japan's Super GT manufacturers picked it up. Instead of a spark plug igniting fuel directly in the combustion chamber, TJI places the spark plug and an injector nozzle at the top of a "jet ignition pre-chamber assembly." The injector shoots a mist of gasoline into the pre-chamber, the spark plug fires, and the force of ignition in the pre-chamber sprays the combustion through tiny holes at the bottom of the pre-chamber into the cylinder as the piston rises. Mahle says the shorter burn and improved combustion spread means cleaner-burning gas engines that emit fewer emissions.   AN says that the "new V-6 engine will be 'electrified' in some form." It's not clear if that means all versions of the V6 will get some sort of hybrid assistance, or if — as had been thought — there will be a non-hybrid unit.

Maserati GranTurismo EV reappears in spy photos

Maserati made it clear that it was working on a new electric sports car last year, and that it would be a successor to the GranTurismo sports coupe. The car has reappeared in these spy photos, and they give us a better look at the car than the official teaser images. The camouflage also appears to feature an additional name. Let's first talk about the name. In addition to the regular Maserati name, the camouflage now has another word: "Folgore." Translated from Italian, it means "lightning" or "thunderbolt." Maserati brought up this name a couple years ago when it started talking about its future electric vehicles, and it first referenced an electric version of the MC20 mid-engine sports car. So this confirms this prototype is electric, and that it will probably be known as the GranTurismo Folgore. As for the looks, the Folgore actually looks a whole lot like the internal-combustion car it will replace. That's no bad thing, though, since the old coupe is still a looker. The front fascia has the most obvious changes with a grille that's more of a simple oval shape, still bearing a large Maserati trident. The headlights are more vertical now, which helps tie it to the MC20. Looking at the rest of the car, the proportions are still very classic with a long nose and short deck, despite not needing that front-end space for an engine. The fenders are still voluptuous, and the rear lights are similarly shaped to the old car, though much slimmer. We're expecting to see the GranTurismo Folgore revealed this year, which is slightly later than Maserati initially planned. The MC20 Folgore powertrain previewed a couple years ago featured three electric motors, one at the front and two at the rear, and it would likely be carried over to the GranTurismo. Power was estimated at more than the combustion MC20's 620 horsepower. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.