2023 Maserati MC20 Folgore planned with three-motor electric powertrain

Maserati's first new model of the 2020s, the MC20, strays from the path that's leading carmakers towards electrified and connected vehicles. The brand is nonetheless headed in this direction, and Autoblog can reveal it's planning to release a range of battery-powered cars called Folgore, a name which means "lightning" in Italian.

Developed in-house, the 800-volt Folgore powertrain consists of one electric motor mounted over the front axle, and two electric motors installed over the rear axle. Sandro Bernardini, the man responsible for the second-generation GranTurismo, told us this configuration is not going to be reserved for high-performance, high-end cars. It will be the norm. And, although the rear motors are bolted into a single unit that's about the size of a modern four-cylinder engine, there is no mechanical connection between them, meaning Maserati's electric models will benefit from true torque vectoring. Ditching gasoline isn't an excuse to stop chasing performance.

As we've previously reported, Maserati's first series-produced battery-powered model will be the next GranTurismo, which is tentatively due out in 2021. Motorists who don't want or need an electric car will be able to order the coupe with a version of the 3.0-liter Nettuno V6 engine that powers the recently-unveiled MC20. Speaking of, the mid-engined coupe will become a mid-motored, zero-emissions coupe a little bit later in its production run. It was developed with both electricity and gasoline in mind from the get-go.

Bernardini couldn't share concrete technical specifications, but he noted his team is designing the powertrain to achieve maximum range. Engineers notably went to significant lengths to make the motors smaller, lighter, and more efficient, we're told, and the technology will be compatible with 300-kilowatt fast-charging. While performance details are also under wraps, Autoblog learned the electric version of the MC20 will "absolutely be more powerful" than its 621-horsepower gasoline-burning counterpart. It will be heavier, too, but the power hike will more than make up for the weight gain, and its handling won't be adversely affected.

Chassis mock-ups confirm the MC20 Folgore will share its basic underpinnings (including its carbon fiber tub and its subframes) with the gasoline-powered model. Its front motor will occupy the space normally reserved for the frunk, while its rear motor will slot neatly between the two wheels. Maserati is putting the lithium-ion battery pack directly behind the firewall for weight distribution reasons; it will be the heaviest part of the car, after all.

Does an electric MC20 need a low-mounted grille, or air vents chiseled into the rear end? Not necessarily.

"Going electric is the next logical step. We are trying to avoid unnecessary air openings and air outlets, in contrast to some of our competitors that seem to depend on them to convey a message. In our case, it's about the purity of the body. We can further purify the car by reducing the amount of air intakes and air outlets, which will help us tell the design story even better," explained Maserati head of design Klaus Busse in an interview with Autoblog.

Francesco Tonon, the head of Maserati's product planning team, told us the MC20 Folgore will make its debut by 2022, and its debut is penciled in after the Spyder-badged convertible model's. When it arrives, it will join the aforementioned second-generation GranTurismo and a new SUV positioned below the Levante in Maserati's family of electric models. Production will take place in Modena, Italy, on the same assembly line that began making the gasoline-powered MC20 in September 2020.

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By Ronan Glon