Maserati Plugs In, Driven by Cool Technology and European Climate Regulations – Barron’s
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The question wasn’t really whether Maserati would plug in, but when. A product line consisting of nothing but gas-guzzling V8- and V12-powered cars is no longer viable, especially in Europe with its tightening emissions rules. EV s aren’t “nice” for marketing purposes; they’re imperative to survival without stiff annual fines.
In what has become a growing trend among supercar manufacturers, Italy’s Maserati said Sept. 26 that it will build—all in Italy—a new line of hybrid and battery electric cars. The first of these cars, out next year, will be a continuation of the Ghibli model with a hybrid electric drivetrain to be built in Turin.
The big news is an all-electric sports car to be produced at the company’s home base in Modena, though Maserati isn’t divulging any details about it. The factory went through major upgrades to accommodate the car’s battery drivetrain.
Following the sports model, with the first cars expected in 2021, will be a new Maserati SUV (following the US$76,980 Levante, which debuted in 2016). The new SUV will be built on a new 800-million-euro (US$875 million) production line in Cassino, which will start functioning in the first quarter of 2020.
Back in February, Wards Auto reported that the new two-seat sports car would be a version of the concept Alfieri first shown in 2014 (then with a gasoline V8). But that’s not guaranteed—it could be anything. The facts are thin on the ground, and a spokesman for Maserati said that the information from the news release is all that’s available at the moment.
“It’s great that Maserati is finally ready to release plug-in electric vehicles,” said Sebastian Blanco, former Autoblog Green editor and EV technology writer. “They’ve had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the electric car era, but the truth is there’s no avoiding where the future lies. Now, while there’s little doubt that their upcoming electrified products will sport good looks, that’s not all it takes to make an EV succeed. Sometimes, when you give others a decade or more of a head start with new technologies, it’s difficult to catch up.”
Maserati seems confident it can catch up. It’s certainly going all-in on the technology. Are the European rules the primary motivation? I would say no, because automakers—faced with companies like Tesla—won’t feel relevant and competitive without electrified models.
And the emissions thing is complicated. Taken alone, Maserati doesn’t look so good. The company is ranked 41st out of 50 among manufacturers selling cars in Europe. The arrival of the Levante SUV was partly responsible for a 2.7-gram-per-mile increase in emissions (to 201.8 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer) from 2016 to 2017. Ferrari and Lamborghini, which both fielded SUVs, too, also saw emissions increases.
But Maserati is part of a conglomerate. The tougher European Union regulations would have cost parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles up to two billion euros (US$2.2 billion) in 2019 and 2020. But CEO Mike Manley says no fines will be due because of improvements in the model lineups (including plug-in hybrid Jeeps and an all-electric Fiat 500), and, also doing its part, new contributions by Maserati.
Also part of the picture for FCA is an EV credit purchase deal with Tesla, which it hopes to be rid of by 2022. For that to happen, the product line needs to be cleaner, so the pressure is on company-wide. For the record, FCA owns Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Maserati, and Ram. It hasn’t been a leader in green cars, but it’s stepping up.
