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Maserati preparing electric Quattroporte for 2028

Maserati's range will look a lot different in 2030 than it did in 2020. The brand has already confirmed that the Quattroporte and the Levante will both be replaced by electric models, and it told us when we'll see both models while shedding light on the other cars in the pipeline. The final Quattroporte rolled off the Turin, Italy, assembly line in December 2023. The smaller Ghibli and Maserati's V8 engine died at that time as well, and they're not coming back. Instead, the brand will remain without a sedan in its lineup until 2028, when it plans to release an electric follow-up to the Quattroporte. It's too early to provide concrete details about the model, but Maserati released one interesting tidbit of information: While the EV will carry the historic Quattroporte nameplate into the 2030s, it will be closer to the Ghibli in terms of size. When it lands, the next Quattroporte will join a battery-powered SUV described as an E-segment model that sounds a lot like the Levante's electric replacement. Production of the Levante continues, even without a V8 option, and we don't know when the big SUV will retire yet. As of writing, it sounds like both models will be only offered with an electric drivetrain. Until then, Maserati will continue to offer gasoline- and battery-powered versions of the cars in its range. We've seen and driven the GranTurismo Folgore, and the coupe will spawn a convertible called GranCabrio later in 2024 that will also be available with either a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 or three electric motors. Even the MC20 supercar will be offered with electric power: The Folgore model previewed in 2020 will reach production by the end of 2025. Note that these EVs won't replace the gasoline-burning variants: "We're going to let buyers decide [whether they prefer the V6 or the EV]," Maserati told me. Maserati stresses that all of these electric models will be designed, developed, and manufactured in Italy. It notably invested a significant amount of money into modernizing the research and development center it operates deep within its decades-old headquarters in Modena. Related video:

Maserati Ghibli GranLusso gets semi-autonomous tech and updated styling

Maserati's littlest sedan is getting a little bit of a makeover in the form a new GranLusso trim for the Ghibli. It will make its official debut at the Chengdu auto show in China, and it mostly consists of aesthetic updates. Up front, the GranLusso gets a grille that has chrome vertical bars in addition to the surround. They also appear thicker and more aggressive. The lower grille has been reshaped, with the outboard openings sweeping up and out, creating more of a smile shape. The headlights are less busy, with a very narrow LED accent strip, and square-shaped projectors. Along the side, the GranLusso gets some badges to tell everyone you got the newest fanciest Ghibli. At the back, the rear bumper has been ever so slightly reshaped at the base. Maserati claims the changes make the car more aerodynamically efficient, but don't give specifics, and frankly we can't imagine the improvement nearly enough to make any real difference to the way the car drives or performs. Styling tweaks aren't the only addition to the GranLusso though. The car will feature some type of semi-autonomous or autonomous driving technology. Again, no specific details were given. We reached out to Maserati for an explanation, and they wouldn't elaborate, saying that there should be more info when it makes its debut at the Chengdu show. No release window or pricing were given either. Related Video:

Stellantis and LG launch joint venture for North American battery plant

Stellantis has struck a preliminary deal with battery maker LG Energy Solution (LGES) to produce battery cells and modules for North America, as the world's No. 4 automaker rolls out its 30 billion euro ($35 billion) electrification plan. Global automakers are investing billions of euros to accelerate a transition to low-emission mobility and prepare for a progressive phase-out of internal combustion engines. Stellantis and LGES's joint venture will produce battery cells and modules at a new facility with an annual capacity of 40 gigawatt hours (GWh), the two firms said on Monday. No financial details of the deal were provided. The plant is scheduled to start production by the first quarter of 2024, with groundbreaking expected in the second quarter of 2022, the companies said in their statement. Its location is under review and will be announced later. Stellantis, formed in January from the merger of Italian-American automaker Fiat Chrysler and France's PSA, has said it wants to secure more than 130 GWh of global battery capacity by 2025 and more than 260 GWh by 2030. The batteries produced under the deal will supply Stellantis' U.S., Canadian and Mexican assembly plants for installation in hybrid and fully electric vehicles, supporting its goal of e-vehicles making up more than 40% of its U.S. sales by 2030. The company, whose brands include Peugeot, Fiat, Opel and U.S. best-sellers Jeep and Ram, earlier this year announced it would invest more than 30 billion euros through 2025 on electrifying its vehicle lineup. Stellantis has said it would build three battery plants in Europe and two in North America, including at least one in the United States. Intesa Sanpaolo analyst Monica Bosio said the deal was positive, and a further step ahead in Stellantis' electrification process. It comes weeks after Stellantis and its partner TotalEnergies agreed to open up their battery cell joint venture ACC to Daimler, to expand their European sourcing of battery cells. Stellantis is also targeting more than 70% of sales in Europe to be of low-emission vehicles by 2030, and aims to make the total cost of owning an EV equal to that of a gasoline-powered model by 2026. Related video: Green Plants/Manufacturing Alfa Romeo Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Jeep Maserati RAM Citroen Lancia Opel Peugeot Vauxhall Electric Hybrid EV batteries LG