2014 Maserati Gran Turismo S on 2040-cars

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Maserati showcasing opulent Levante options in New York

Fiat Chrysler CEO Mike Manley said last year that it was a mistake to pair Maserati with Alfa Romeo because it suggested Maserati was a mass-market brand. Now on its own, this year the house of the trident begins to unfurl its luxury wings. The Ghibli, Quattroporte, and GranTurismo Convertible will be on hand, but focus rests on the Levante SUV for the New York Auto Show. Maserati plans North American debuts of its One of One Customization Program and the brand-exclusive Pelletessuta interior designed by Ermenegildo Zegna. One of One ushers Maserati buyers into the same realm of possibilities that BMW's Individual or Porsche Exclusiv does for those German brands, the standard over the gateway reading, "Anything is Possible." Up to now, the GranTurismo - the carmaker's second-oldest offering - has offered the greatest range of customization. Yet those stock choices in hue and finish pale when compared to One of One's "thousands of interior and exterior options" wrought by "Italian artisanal craftsmanship." As Maserati did in Geneva when debuting the program, a celebrity will visit the New York show stand to take delivery of "their never seen before" One of One Levante GTS. The general population gets the keys to the One of One program "in the near future." The other show car will be a bronze Zegna Levante S Q4 GranSport with the new Pelletessuta woven Nappa leather interior. Said to be a lightweight material created by the Italian fashion house, both durable and comfortable, Pelletessuta will only be available in Maseratis. The carmaker seems to have done us a disservice by posting photos of the material in black, or perhaps they're trying to lure us to the show to see it for ourselves. The new leather won't be available in North America until spring of 2020, so if your mind had already begun considering a calico-cat-matched One of One interior in a Gattara-colored Ghibli, it's going to be a minute.

Electric Maserati Grecale Folgore will have over 500 horsepower

Maserati is beginning to release details about its Folgore-badged range of EVs. We know that the battery-powered version of the next Gran Turismo will have over 1,200 horsepower, and Autoblog learned preliminary details (including output and range) about the Grecale Folgore. Due out in 2023, the electric Grecale will share its Giorgio platform with the gasoline-powered model. Pictured in the gallery above, the architecture will incorporate a 105-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack and a pair of electric motors for through-the-road all-wheel-drive. Federico De Medio, Maserati's head of vehicle validation, told us to expect over 500 horsepower and more than 300 miles of driving range. "We were able to install the battery pack in the lower part of the car while keeping the Giorgio platform, which is a very versatile architecture that can be multi-energy," he said. "I've heard people say, 'It can't underpin an EV!' Well, you can clearly see that it can." Maserati will rely on lightweight materials, like aluminum and carbon fiber, to partially offset the weight of the battery pack. It will give the Grecale a 400-volt electrical system, a solution chosen for its flexibility, and the motors that will power the SUV will not be the same units fitted to the Gran Turismo. Clearly, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to electrifying a portfolio of models as diverse as Maserati's. But, while electric cars make headlines, gasoline-powered cars make volume, and Maserati isn't giving up on that part of its range quite yet. It tentatively plans to offer only electric cars by 2030, but until then (and maybe even beyond then) it will let customers choose what they drive. "We are one of the few brands still making investments in two technologies: internal combustion and electric," said Bill Peffer, head of Maserati's American division. "People have asked us why. The reason is simple: We're adding products to the lineup, and the [EV] adoption curve is different in different parts of the world, so we're going to let the customer choose. The customer is going to decide what the rate is going to be, and we have the flexibility of ramping up or ramping down depending on demand. There's a long runway between now and 2030."

2014 Maserati Ghibli

Italy Passionately Returns To The Sport Sedan Game
In its 99-year history, Maserati has arguably never made a vehicle as important as this all-new Ghibli.
Of course, there have been countless styling breakthroughs, mechanical advances and technical innovations, but no single passenger car has been required to bear the weight of the Italian company like its brand-new sport sedan. If the Ghibli succeeds, Maserati will welcome tens of thousands of new customers and, most importantly, celebrate a rekindled relationship with demanding North American buyers. If the Ghibli fails - well, the truth is, nobody has written an option for failure.