Maserati delays flagship EV sedan

Maserati's transition to full-electric powertrains has hit another speed bump.

The Stellantis premium brand has halted development of the Quattroporte Folgore battery-powered large sedan.

Maserati took the step because of “the need to take zero risks on the performance level of the new car,” a spokesperson told Automotive News Europe.

The delay was first reported by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

Maserati CEO Davide Grasso in December told Italian newspaper La Repubblica that “the successor of the Quattroporte will be all-electric and will be unveiled in early 2025.”

Now it is unclear whether that target will be met.

According to Italian media, Stellantis is still working on the business case for the Quattroporte Folgore. The automaker has asked suppliers to the sedan to cut their prices by 6 percent, after asking for a similar reduction in 2023, according to reports.

The Quattroporte Folgore is the third Maserati EV that has been delayed, following the battery-electric Folgore versions of the GranTurismo coupe and Grecale midsize SUV, which were expected to be launched in 2023 but were moved to this year instead. Fuel-powered versions of both the GranTurismo and Grecale are already on sale.

Deliveries of the GranTurismo Folgore are now underway, a spokesperson told ANE. It will be joined by the Grecale Folgore at the beginning of the second quarter.

The Folgore version of the GranCabrio will be unveiled in the second quarter, alongside fuel-powered derivatives of the large convertible.

Maserati aims to have an electric-only model range by 2030.

All of Maserati's EV variants will include the name Folgore, which is Italian for lightning.

Production of the previous-generation Quattroporte, which featured V-6 and V-8 gasoline engines, ended in the fourth quarter of 2023. That car was made at Stellantis' Mirafiori plant in Turin, where the new car also will be produced.

Stellantis will temporarily lay off 1,000 Maserati production workers at the Mirafiori factory from Feb. 12 until March 3. The plant also makes the Levante large SUV and GranTurismo large coupe and will add the GranCabrio in the next few months.

Production of the Ghibli midsize sedan also ended in Q4. The Ghibli will not be replaced, making the next Quattroporte the only sedan in Maserati's lineup.

Separately, Maserati told Italian unions that from Jan. 29 to Feb. 17 it will temporarily lay off 220 workers at its factory in Modena, Italy, where it makes the MC20 sports car.

The move was triggered by a "steep decrease in market demand" for the 240,000 euro model, according to Italian media.