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Maserati GranTurismo EV reappears in spy photos

Maserati made it clear that it was working on a new electric sports car last year, and that it would be a successor to the GranTurismo sports coupe. The car has reappeared in these spy photos, and they give us a better look at the car than the official teaser images. The camouflage also appears to feature an additional name. Let's first talk about the name. In addition to the regular Maserati name, the camouflage now has another word: "Folgore." Translated from Italian, it means "lightning" or "thunderbolt." Maserati brought up this name a couple years ago when it started talking about its future electric vehicles, and it first referenced an electric version of the MC20 mid-engine sports car. So this confirms this prototype is electric, and that it will probably be known as the GranTurismo Folgore. As for the looks, the Folgore actually looks a whole lot like the internal-combustion car it will replace. That's no bad thing, though, since the old coupe is still a looker. The front fascia has the most obvious changes with a grille that's more of a simple oval shape, still bearing a large Maserati trident. The headlights are more vertical now, which helps tie it to the MC20. Looking at the rest of the car, the proportions are still very classic with a long nose and short deck, despite not needing that front-end space for an engine. The fenders are still voluptuous, and the rear lights are similarly shaped to the old car, though much slimmer. We're expecting to see the GranTurismo Folgore revealed this year, which is slightly later than Maserati initially planned. The MC20 Folgore powertrain previewed a couple years ago featured three electric motors, one at the front and two at the rear, and it would likely be carried over to the GranTurismo. Power was estimated at more than the combustion MC20's 620 horsepower. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Maserati makes 328-foot-long trident with 80 Grecale test mules

Maserati delayed the launch of the Grecale, its long-awaited second SUV, from November 2021 to the spring of 2022, but that doesn't mean the test mules and the engineers tasked with driving them are taking a sabbatical. The company is still testing prototypes all over the world, and it brought 80 pre-production models fully draped in camouflage to a test track in Modena, Italy, to create a giant trident emblem. Over 250 development models are racking up miles in Italy, Finland, the United Arab Emirates, China, Japan and the United States, according to the Italian firm. About a third of them gathered near the company's home town to form the 328-foot trident. It's a stunt that allowed Maserati to release a handful of cool images, but it teaches us little about the Levante's baby brother, which will be aimed at the Porsche Macan. Luckily, Maserati also released a couple of images that show four prototypes parked in front of the Milan Cathedral. We can tell that the Grecale borrows a handful of styling cues from the MC20; it's not simply a scaled-down Levante. Its headlights are oval and nearly vertical (the Levante's are thin and almost horizontal) and its grille looks wider and thinner. Earlier spy shots suggest that the Grecale wears a roofline that leans more towards sport than utility; it's not a utilitarian people-hauler with the proportions of a school bus. Unverified reports claim that Maserati will build the Grecale on an evolution of the Giorgio platform that underpins Alfa Romeo's Stelvio and Giulia models. If that's accurate, rear-wheel drive will likely come standard (at least in some markets) and all-wheel drive will be offered at an extra cost. We're guessing that four- and six-cylinder engines will be available, though full specifications haven't been published yet, and Maserati previously confirmed that a high-performance version worthy of the Trofeo emblem will join the range at some point.  More details about the Maserati Grecale will emerge in the coming months.  Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Maserati showcasing opulent Levante options in New York

Fiat Chrysler CEO Mike Manley said last year that it was a mistake to pair Maserati with Alfa Romeo because it suggested Maserati was a mass-market brand. Now on its own, this year the house of the trident begins to unfurl its luxury wings. The Ghibli, Quattroporte, and GranTurismo Convertible will be on hand, but focus rests on the Levante SUV for the New York Auto Show. Maserati plans North American debuts of its One of One Customization Program and the brand-exclusive Pelletessuta interior designed by Ermenegildo Zegna. One of One ushers Maserati buyers into the same realm of possibilities that BMW's Individual or Porsche Exclusiv does for those German brands, the standard over the gateway reading, "Anything is Possible." Up to now, the GranTurismo - the carmaker's second-oldest offering - has offered the greatest range of customization. Yet those stock choices in hue and finish pale when compared to One of One's "thousands of interior and exterior options" wrought by "Italian artisanal craftsmanship." As Maserati did in Geneva when debuting the program, a celebrity will visit the New York show stand to take delivery of "their never seen before" One of One Levante GTS. The general population gets the keys to the One of One program "in the near future." The other show car will be a bronze Zegna Levante S Q4 GranSport with the new Pelletessuta woven Nappa leather interior. Said to be a lightweight material created by the Italian fashion house, both durable and comfortable, Pelletessuta will only be available in Maseratis. The carmaker seems to have done us a disservice by posting photos of the material in black, or perhaps they're trying to lure us to the show to see it for ourselves. The new leather won't be available in North America until spring of 2020, so if your mind had already begun considering a calico-cat-matched One of One interior in a Gattara-colored Ghibli, it's going to be a minute.