Say goodbye to the iconic Maserati V8 growl

Italian luxury brand Maserati has announced all of its future models will feature hybrid and electric propulsion systems - and it’s also adding another SUV.

The company has announced the Ghibli mid-size luxury sedan will be the first model in its range to adopt hybrid tech, with a petrol-electric model due later this year. This model was rumoured to debut in April at the Beijing motor show, though a release from the brand states its new slogan, “the music is changing”, will commence from May 2020.

Further, Maserati confirmed the new-generation GranTurismo coupe and GranCabrio convertible will launch in 2021, and they will be the brand’s “first cars to adopt 100 per cent electric solutions”.

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The company has invested 800 million euro (AUD $1,290,169,877) in its revamped Mirafiori production plant, which has been the home of the current GranTurismo and GranCabrio since 2007.

The company is splurging another 800 million euro on its plant in Cassino, where it will build its second SUV. The new model - which is “intended to play a leading role for the brand” competing with the likes of the Porsche Macan - will see its first examples due in 2021.

The brand’s much-hyped and long-awaited new super sports car won’t be built there, however - it will be made in Modena, which remains the company headquarters. That car is due in 2020, and is said to be “brimming with technology and evoking the brand’s traditional values”, but the company has confirmed the Modena plant is being retooled “partly to accommodate the electric version of the super sports car”. 

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It’s unclear what the move to electrification means for the rest of the range of Maserati models, but it seems likely that future versions of the sports car models will forego the option of petrol V8 power - the sound of which has been a hallmark of the Trident brand’s identity for decades.

Maserati’s Australian arm has stated that it is currently too early to say what the announcement means for local line-up changes.

“There’s a lot of exciting new product coming, and it begins in May - we are putting our hands up for all the new product, as to when that arrives, it remains to be seen,” a local spokesperson told CarsGuide.