Maserati GranTurismo Folgore EV Sounds Like A Real Sports Car In Latest Teaser

Sep. 02, 2022 6:55 AM ET by Michael Butler Teaser / 4 Comments

As far as 'teasers' go, Maserati has just about revealed the entire car... except for one aspect.

We tend to associate Maserati cars with the howl of flat-plane V8s, but we live in a society, which means that the growl of high-compression performance motors is becoming a thing of the past. In its place comes the electric motor, which, as we all know, traditionally doesn't sound like much more than a sewing machine, so it's pretty ironic that Maserati has used the word "roaring" in the title of its latest video of the GranTurismo Folgore.

We've previously seen the Folgore prototypes going all-out on the Nurburgring, and we thought, "Yeah, that sounds pretty badass." But it now seems the GranTurismo Folgore will retain that sound in production form. The latest 'teaser' from the Italian brand showcases an almost entirely undisguised GranTurismo Folgore driving around California, and it sounds like a spaceship. From the outside, it even sounds like a real performance car.

Pictures of this high-performance EV were leaked last month ahead of what we thought would be a full reveal at The Quail. That didn't happen, but a few days later, Maserati took to social media to tell us the car would be driving around California undisguised. "Impossible to keep a secret," said the caption.

The latest teaser takes the form of a video with Klaus Busse, head of design at Maserati, and Maria Conti, chief communications officer for the brand, as they give comedian Sebastian Maniscalco the first opportunity for anyone outside of Maserati to experience the GT Folgore.

The teaser reveals almost the entire design of the new GranTurismo, showcasing it carving up twisting California roads in style. It looks like a Maserati should - svelte, sexy, and like it's capable of going very fast indeed. And that it is, as the video also gives away key performance metrics.

0-60 mph takes 2.6 seconds, and the top speed will be in excess of 200 mph. That's courtesy of three electric motors producing 1,200 horsepower and giving the Folgore all-wheel drive. The batteries are housed in the central tunnel - where the transmission and driveshaft will reside on the combustion equivalent - both ICE and EV will be sold alongside one another - lowering the center of gravity and allowing Busse and his team to make the Folgore look like a traditional sports car.

The new electric architecture allows the Granturismo Folgore to charge rapidly, securing an extra 100 miles in just 10 mins.

But while the brutal acceleration and svelte looks are to be expected, the most surprising aspect of the Folgore is its sound. This car relies on a cleverly engineered active sound system that produces a sound unlike any we've heard from an EV. Busse says the soundtrack was designed by the same engineers responsible for the brand's V8 symphonies, explaining the burbling sound it produces on the move. The noise is definitely something that will rival Dodge's Fratzonic EV exhaust system.

The video also gives us a few glimpses of the interior of the GranTurismo Folgore. The cabin is typically Maserati; bold white and blue themes, with blue seat centers and seatbelts, scream Monte Carlo casino benders, and Busse explains that the cabin features environmentally conscious materials such as recycled nylon.

But while Maserati completely reveals the outside of the car in the video, the dashboard is blurred out and labeled "CONFIDENTIAL." We know that there will be carbon fiber and that some panels will feature a wavy texture, but, for now at least, we'll have to wait to see the finished product.

The entire package reeks of Italian style, and with a ton of performance, sublime elegance, and an otherworldly soundtrack, this EV is bound to make waves when it launches. The Italian EV - the first luxury EV from the Mediterranean country - will make its global debut in 2023 and is expected to sell for around $130,000 when it hits showroom floors.

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Tags: #Maserati News #Electric Vehicles #Sports Cars #Teaser #Video

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