We've been saying for years that Maserati needs a new halo car. Back in 2014, the Italian automaker revealed the two-door Alfieri concept, but constant delays meant that a production version was looking increasingly unlikely to happen. Imagine our surprise, then, when Maserati boss Tim Kuniskis announced at FCA's Capital Markets Day speech that the Alfieri is finally entering production in the form of an electric sports car. Available either as a coupe of convertible, the Alfieri will be built on a new lightweight aluminium space frame.
It will also have a fully modular chassis with three "state-of-the-art powertrains, including plug-in hybrid", according to Kuniskis. One will be an all-electric version using a three-motor, all-wheel drive system offering torque vectoring. It will feature 800V battery technology. Maserati claims the all-electric version will accelerate from 0-62 mph in under two seconds, which puts it in the Tesla Roadster's territory. In fact, Kuniskis openly admitted the Alfieri is being positioned as a true Tesla rival. "It may look like we are targeting Tesla: we are," Kuniskis said. "We're going to accomplish this by bringing the market something no other player in the industry can match."
In addition, Kuniskis announced a new mid-size SUV will slot below the Levante with a lightweight platform, 50/50 weight distribution, superior ride and handling and a best-in-class power-to-weight ratio. Maserati is hoping the smaller SUV will help the automaker double its sales to 100,000 cars by 2022. Continuing its assault on Tesla, Maserati is also launching four fully electric cars sold under a new 'Maserati Blue' moniker. There will also be electric versions of the next Quattroporte and Levante using the same powertrains. Plug-in hybrid versions of these cars are also part of Maserati's plan to expand into as many segments as possible.
By 2022, there will be eight plug-in hybrid Maseratis on sale. Maserati will also replace the Ghibli by 2022, while all other models in the line-up will be updated with Level 3 autonomous tech.
