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2025 Maserati Grecale Folgore First Drive: Roughly translated 'electric Maserati SUV'

LECCE, Italy – Maserati believes its customers should decide if and when they go electric. While itÂ’s building up its range of EVs for motorists who think a twin-turbocharged V6 engine is the automotive equivalent of the horseshoe crab – the next-generation Quattroporte and Levante will notably be electric – itÂ’s still developing and selling gasoline-burning cars for those who are less than enthralled by battery technology. It launched the Grecale, its smallest SUV and its most affordable model by a significant margin, in 2022 and initially made it available with either a four- or a six-cylinder engine. ItÂ’s a bet that paid off: Aimed at the Porsche Macan, the Grecale has predictably become the Italian companyÂ’s best-selling model. The range expands later this year with the all-electric 2025 Maserati Grecale Folgore. In Italian, its name means "lightning," so that's fun.  Some carmakers, such as Mercedes-Benz, set their electric and gasoline-burning models apart by lumping the EVs into a sub-brand and giving them a powertrain-specific design. Maserati sees this approach as an avenue thatÂ’s best detoured, so the Folgore doesnÂ’t scream, “Hi, folks, look at me: IÂ’m electric!” It looks pretty much like the piston-powered Grecale with the exception of minor details. That's intentional. “In terms of the shape of the car, we donÂ’t want to change the customerÂ’s perception. Our customers know Maserati as a luxury brand, but weÂ’re also known for Italian design. We donÂ’t want to be generic; we want to be timeless. We donÂ’t want to follow a trend. Our mission is to achieve visual longevity,” Maserati designer Andrea Bruno told me on the sidelines of the Grecale Folgore launch. “These trends move fast. One month, everyone loves it. The month later, everyone has already forgotten it. We need to do something timeless.” Some of the visual changes made to the Folgore help improve driving range by reducing the drag coefficient. Up front, thereÂ’s a redesigned grille with a much smaller open area. Out back, Maserati added a redesigned air diffuser. Copper-colored accents also make the Folgore stand out, and the gasoline-powered modelÂ’s three fender-mounted air intakes are filled in and fitted with LED lights. Rame Folgore, a paint color that changes from gray-ish to brown-ish depending on the light that hits it, is EV-specific as well. It's the color you're seeing in our gallery, above. Other colors are also available.

Stellantis expects to hit emissions target without Tesla's help

Franco-Italian carmaker Stellantis expects to achieve its European carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions targets this year without environmental credits bought from Tesla, its CEO said in an interview published on Tuesday. Stellantis was formed through the merger of France's PSA and Italy's FCA, which spent about 2 billion euros ($2.40 billion) to buy European and U.S. CO2 credits from electric vehicle maker Tesla over the 2019-2021 period. "With the electrical technology that PSA brought to Stellantis, we will autonomously meet carbon dioxide emission regulations as early as this year," Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares said in the interview with French weekly Le Point. "Thus, we will not need to call on European CO2 credits and FCA will no longer have to pool with Tesla or anyone." California-based Tesla earns credits for exceeding emissions and fuel economy standards and sells them to other automakers that fall short. European regulations require all car manufacturers to reduce CO2 emissions for private vehicles to an average of 95 grams per kilometer this year. A Stellantis spokesman said the company is in discussions with Tesla about the financial implications of the decision to stop the pooling agreement. "As a result of the combination of Groupe PSA and FCA, Stellantis will be in a position to achieve CO2 targets in Europe for 2021 without open passenger car pooling arrangements with other automakers," he added. Tesla's sales of environmental credits to rival automakers helped it to announce slightly better than expected first-quarter revenue this week. The next tightening of European regulations will soon be the subject of proposals from the European Commission. The 2030 target could be lowered to less than 43 grams/km. Related Video: Government/Legal Green Alfa Romeo Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep Maserati RAM Tesla Citroen Peugeot Emissions Stellantis

2021 Maserati updates: Android Automotive infotainment, enhanced driver assists, design tweaks

A new infotainment system with a larger touchscreen highlights the changes to the 2021 Maserati Ghibli and Quattroporte, while the Levante SUV makes do with a minor update to its existing system as well as styling tweaks. The major changes are concentrated on the interior. The Ghibli and Quattroporte ditch their former Uconnect-based infotainment systems for an all-new system using Android Automotive software, and screen size grows from 8.4 inches to 10.1 inches with higher resolution and a frameless design. A Maserati Connect app is available for smartphones and smartwatches and also works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. The Levante retains its 8.4-inch unit but with improved resolution. The interiors of all three models also see an upgrade to the instrument cluster. The cluster's driver-information display gets enhanced resolution, while the gauges are redesigned for a more premium appearance. And the plastic covering over the instruments has been replaced with glass. The sedans and SUV also add a new Advanced Driving Assist. The semi-autonomous lane-centering feature works in conjunction with the adaptive cruise control. It's basically an evolution of the existing Highway Assist, the difference being its ability to work on more secondary roads rather than just major highways. Finally, all three models get new grille designs (available in chrome or black) and new taillights with what Maserati describes as a "boomerang" graphic, inspired by the 3200 GT coupe. Related video: