The Maserati Grecale was supposed to debut this week on November 16. The timing suggests Maserati was also planning to show the Grecale to the public at the LA Auto Show. Sadly, supply chain issues caused by the superconductor chip shortage have delayed its debut until next spring at an unspecified date.

Just in case you forgot it was supposed to debut this week, Maserati gathered 80 pre-production Grecales to form the world's largest Trident measuring 328 feet long at its test track in Italy. A fleet of colorful camouflaged prototypes was also let loose onto the streets of Milan, where they posed for photos in front of the Milan Cathedral.

Maserati is also testing 250 development models in Japan, the US, the United Arab Emirates, China, Finland, and Italy. When the Maserati Grecale eventually arrives, it will be positioned below the Levante and compete against the Porsche Macan. This is undoubtedly Maserati's most important model in a long time as the Italian automaker is hoping it will replicate the Macan's successful sales figures and help turn the company's profits around.

Spy shots have shown that the Grecale will share some design cues with the MC20 but also its big brother. From what we've seen of prototypes and parts that were mysteriously being sold online, the design of the front bumper and grille will be inspired by the Levante.

The leather steering wheel appears to be borrowed from the MC20, as do the slick-looking LED headlights with integrated LED daytime running lights.

Under the hood, the Grecale is expected to be offered with a 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder in the base model and a plug-in hybrid. Topping the range will be a high-performance Trofeo variant. Since it will reportedly be underpinned by the same Giorgio platform as the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, there's a good chance the Grecale will be graced with a twin-turbo V6 that can generate 505 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque. We'll likely learn more as the teaser campaign continues through to 2022