It looks like Maserati is all set to unveil a battery-electric model of its two-seat Alfieri sportscar. The luxury automaker has set a launch date of 2020 for the version.
Rumors surrounding the electric sports car have been doing rounds for quite a long time, but now Maserati has confirmed the all-electric version of the next powertrain of the new Alfieri, to arrive just a year after the twin-turbo petrol V6-engined sports car debuts in 2019.
Although the Alfieri concept that the company showed off a couple of years ago packed a V8 and was expected to go into production this year, it looks like a V6 powertrain would be a favored option citing fuel economy and legislative pressure on emissions, according to AutoCar.
Maserati's head of engineering, Roberto Fedeli confirmed earlier this year that he was assigned the task of bringing to market an all-electric vehicle before 2020 by the company's chief executive Sergio Marchionne. The engineer did not provide more details at the time, but a company official has confirmed that the electric car that Maserati plans to bring to market will be based on the Alfieri concept.
Moreover, the Maserati EV is not likely to compete with Tesla Model S. On the contrary, it will be more in the "grand-touring coupe" genre, Car And Driver reported. Fedeli spoke to the publication about the Maserati's EV plans at the Paris Motor show earlier this month.
According to Fedeli, the company is mindful of being "late to the game," and that it will probably be the last to market a production EV in the premium category. This means they will have to come up with something very different from their competitors.
The chief executive of Maserati's parent company Fiat/Chrysler, Sergio Marchionne had noted that the company is manufacturing EVs just for incentives. He opined that it's difficult to earn money simply by selling electric cars except by complying with government mandates.
Do you think they will now realize the potential of electric powertrains since they have been tasked to develop them? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!
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