2017 Maserati Levante on 2040-cars

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Maserati Grecale announced as new compact crossover set to debut next year

Maserati is on a roll right now, and the Italian brand has just teased another new model: Grecale. Judging by the silhouette (and the information Maserati provided), it’s a smaller SUV than the Levante. Think Porsche Macan or BMW X3 size. Its stubby nose, small body and short overhangs all make it appear much smaller. The name “Grecale” is derived from the name for the north-east wind from the Mediterranean Sea. It seems Â…. fine. It sounds a lot better if you say it with Italian pronunciation, as opposed to an American gre-kale. Naming the Grecale after a wind is normal for Maserati. The Mistral, Ghibli, Levante, Bora, Merak and Khamsin are all named after famous winds, too. One final detail Maserati provided is the most telling of all, though. ItÂ’ll be built at FCAÂ’s Cassino, Italy, plant, which is the current home of Giulia and Stelvio production. The takeaway here is that itÂ’ll be a Stelvio-based crossover riding on the Giorgio platform. From a performance standpoint, that is fantastic. The Stelvio Quadrifoglio is one of the best-driving crossovers in the world, and a Maserati version of this car sounds like a recipe for success. WeÂ’re not sure how much the two will share at this stage, but now that Maserati has a firecracker of a V6 with the Nettuno, it can use its own engine for propulsion. Maserati claims the “Grecale is destined to play a leading role for the brand,” so weÂ’re expecting to be impressed when it debuts. ThereÂ’s more than just the Grecale to look at here, though. Maserati also flashed a silhouette of the next Gran Turismo that is coming in 2021. Most of it is left to our imagination, but weÂ’re happy to see Maserati is revamping its whole lineup. The Grecale is truly the big news of the day, especially since crossovers continue to be a seriously hot commodity. Watch out for a debut next year sometime. Related Video:

Maserati Levante is Italy's answer to the Porsche Cayenne

When Maserati released the first images of the new Levante – and said little else about it – we wondered what it would be under the hood. Crossover or not, it is still a Maserati, after all. The full details are now here. Globally speaking, Maserati will offer the Levante with three engine options. All of them are turbocharged 3.0-liter V6s, but they vary widely in output and even burn different types of fuel. The base model packs 350 horsepower and 368 pound-feet of torque for a 0-62 time of 6.0 seconds flat – the same as the base Ghibli, but four tenths slower with a bigger form to move. The Levante S offers a rather impressive 430 hp and 427 lb-ft (more than the Ghibli S) for a 5.2-second sprint. And while the diesel model has the least power, it also offers the most torque, at 275 hp and 442 lb-ft (slightly more than the oil-burning sedan) for a 6.9-second time. Whichever engine is chosen, it comes mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, all-wheel drive, and a limited-slip differential. Those output figures compare rather favorably to the Porsche Cayenne with which the Levante will invariably be compared. But Porsche and Maserati aren't the only high-end, old-world automakers that have now broken into the crossover game. So have Bentley and Jaguar, and soon so will Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Lotus, and Rolls-Royce. It's all part of an onslaught of crossovers coming from some of Europe's most vaunted marques. And while Maserati hasn't gotten there first, it hasn't gotten there last, either. With two sedans already out and a new sports car on the way, the Levante puts the Modenese automaker in prime position to grow, and grow big. View 21 Photos View 4 Photos Related Video: MASERATI LEVANTE DEBUTS AT THE GENEVA MOTOR SHOW Maserati's first SUV receives its eagerly-anticipated world unveiling at the Geneva International Motor Show Modena, 01 March 2016 – Maserati has chosen the 86th Geneva International Motor Show to introduce the first SUV in its hundred-year history: the Levante. As with many Maseratis from the past, the new car's name is inspired by a wind: the Levante is a warm Mediterranean wind that can change from a light breeze to an irresistible natural force in an instant, mirroring the character of the first Maserati SUV. The Levante is the ideal complement to the Maserati range. Combined with the Quattroporte, Ghibli, GranTurismo and GranCabrio, the range now covers the entirety of the global luxury automotive market.

Maserati preparing electric Quattroporte for 2028

Maserati's range will look a lot different in 2030 than it did in 2020. The brand has already confirmed that the Quattroporte and the Levante will both be replaced by electric models, and it told us when we'll see both models while shedding light on the other cars in the pipeline. The final Quattroporte rolled off the Turin, Italy, assembly line in December 2023. The smaller Ghibli and Maserati's V8 engine died at that time as well, and they're not coming back. Instead, the brand will remain without a sedan in its lineup until 2028, when it plans to release an electric follow-up to the Quattroporte. It's too early to provide concrete details about the model, but Maserati released one interesting tidbit of information: While the EV will carry the historic Quattroporte nameplate into the 2030s, it will be closer to the Ghibli in terms of size. When it lands, the next Quattroporte will join a battery-powered SUV described as an E-segment model that sounds a lot like the Levante's electric replacement. Production of the Levante continues, even without a V8 option, and we don't know when the big SUV will retire yet. As of writing, it sounds like both models will be only offered with an electric drivetrain. Until then, Maserati will continue to offer gasoline- and battery-powered versions of the cars in its range. We've seen and driven the GranTurismo Folgore, and the coupe will spawn a convertible called GranCabrio later in 2024 that will also be available with either a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 or three electric motors. Even the MC20 supercar will be offered with electric power: The Folgore model previewed in 2020 will reach production by the end of 2025. Note that these EVs won't replace the gasoline-burning variants: "We're going to let buyers decide [whether they prefer the V6 or the EV]," Maserati told me. Maserati stresses that all of these electric models will be designed, developed, and manufactured in Italy. It notably invested a significant amount of money into modernizing the research and development center it operates deep within its decades-old headquarters in Modena. Related video: