Back in September of 2020, we sneakily took some snaps of a shadowy SUV called the Maserati Grecale, and since then, we've commented on how important the new offering will be for the Italian automaker as it looks to achieve mainstream success against established rivals like the Porsche Macan. We've got a pretty good idea of what it will look like thanks to spy shots and teaser images, but Maserati is remaining pretty secretive about this make-or-break new release. In the meantime, however, the automaker continues to tease us, and its latest press material (which includes pictures of a boat) suggests that we don't have too long to wait for the Grecale's unveiling.
If you're not a massive Maserati fan, we don't blame you for questioning the inclusion of sailboat images in a story about an SUV, but the explanation is simple. Back in 1963, Maserati decided to name a vehicle after a famous natural wind called the Mistral, and this became something of a tradition, with subsequent wind-names offerings including the Ghibli, Bora, Merak, and Khamsin. The tradition has continued into the modern era with the Levante and now the Grecale, a strong north-east wind of the Mediterranean. Hence, emblazoning the sail of a wind-powered boat with the Grecale name makes some sort of sense. But what of the suggestion that the SUV's reveal is happening before long?
In keeping with past material on the Grecale, Maserati remains tight-lipped, but has given us an approximate timeframe: "This November, the spotlights will turn on as the new car is unveiled." That reaffirms our earlier information that the new SUV would launch this year as a 2022 model. Not much else is mentioned, but Maserati wants us to know that the Grecale will be special. "Technological innovation, uncompromising performance, the desire to compete and win, this is what link Grecale and Maserati Multi 70, the "laboratory boat" on which the engineers of the Innovation Lab in Modena have transferred their know-how in aerodynamics and performance." We can't wait for November.