Maserati delays launch of Quattroporte EV

Maserati has delayed the launch of the next-generation Quattroporte ahead of its planned arrival later this year, casting doubt over whether the saloon’s electric-only successor will hit showrooms before mid-2025.

The model’s seventh iteration, which will be built at parent company Stellantis’ Mirafiori plant in Turin, is due to be a smaller, more luxurious, battery-powered replacement for both the current V8 Maserati Quattroporte and its Maserati Ghibli sibling.

Today the brand confirmed to Autocar it has put production “on-hold”. “We are keeping our suppliers and partners posted on this point,” noted a statement.

The car maker added that a delay was enforced because of “the need to take zero risks on the performance level of the new car,” a spokesperson told Automotive News Europe. 

It is understood supplier pricing negotiations are one of the reasons for the set back; reports suggest Stellantis wants to slice costs by six per cent.

The new Quattroporte is now not expected to be unveiled until the second half of next year at the earliest. Maserati boss Davide Grasso previously told Italian newspaper La Repubblica that the car would land in “early 2025”, but this is not thought to be unrealistic given the new set back.

This is the latest delay to hit the Italian marque, which had previously shifted build schedules for Folgore (electric) versions of its Maserati GranTurismo and Maserati Grecale – deliveries of the latter set to begin in the coming months. By 2030, Maserati aims to have an electric-only line-up.

Maserati Quattroporte Folgore full details

The next-generation Maserati Quattroporte Folgore will be the brand’s third electric car.

It will be its first model to be offered without a combustion option and will play a key role in shaping the brand’s future as it pushes to ditch combustion power by 2030. 

CEO Grasso said Maserati’s hotly anticipated Porsche Taycan rival is “unmistakably a Maserati” but also “such a disruptive design project”, suggesting it will take inspiration from the latest Granturismo and Grecale but adopt a radical new look defined by its electric underpinnings – likely to be chiefly influenced by a focus on aerodynamic efficiency. 

Grasso stopped short of naming any key rivals but he suggested the new EV saloon can stand out on the basis of its overt luxury appeal and “Italian flair”, which will be crucial in cementing the firm’s credentials as a bona fide luxury brand and helping it to maintain the healthy profit margins it achieved in 2022. 

The new saloon will tend more towards the Quattroporte end of the spectrum than the Ghibli and come with a lofty price to match, as Maserati moves away from targeting volume sales in the mainstream executive segment. 

“We’re making the choice of not doing that,” Grasso said. “As a luxury brand, you want to choose what not to do, and then you choose what to do. This is not where I’m going to play. We are not for everybody. We are for those that are willing to pay a premium to have a unique performance and luxury experience.” 

Grasso pointed to the Grecale as a good example of how to translate Maserati’s luxury credentials into a more accessible, volume-friendly package. He highlighted its driver-focused cockpit, rear leg room and attention to detail as differentiators from rivals. 

“We have freed ourselves up from thinking about volume,” Grasso said. “Volume is a consequence of what we do. The driver is profitability, because without profitability and quality, luxury doesn’t exist.” 

All clues point to the Quattroporte EV being a sibling to Alfa Romeo’s upcoming electric Giulia, expected to be based on the recently revealed STLA Large platform and potentially sharing its promised 1000bhp range-topping powertrain in a fearsome Trofeo variant.

This platform can accommodate batteries large enough for 500 miles of range, as well as high-performance motors.

The new Quattroporte’s positioning also indicates a target price of about £150,000, especially given that it will be sold in electric form only (the Granturismo Folgore will command £200,000). 

Additional reporting by Felix Page