Famed Italian sports and luxury car builder, Maserati, has announced that it has begun the testing phase of its first all-electric propulsion system. But this presents a problem and put simply, it’s the noise. Allow me to explain.
Maserati says its electric powertrain will have a distinctive sound but that’s just not enough. Sound is an integral part of the motoring experience for car enthusiasts. Some have gone as far as saying that the growl from a petrol combustion engine is the soul of the car itself. For many, the emotive ‘music’ created by the those tuned exhausts is the reason they love Maseratis in the first place.
It’s an incredibly risky and complex proposition when you’re in the business of building cars whose only job is to excite and stir the soul. Taking that out of the equation could potentially be disastrous from a sales point of view.
Furthermore, the company has said they’ll initially be equipping the GranTurismo and GranCabrio models with this newly-developed fully-electric powertrain. However, other models such as the Ghibli and Levante are expected to be electrified when their next-generation debuts.
But regardless, Maserati is committed to electrification. This is further evident in their September 2019 announcement that they will be investing over 800 million Euros in a facility to produce its all-electric GTs.
While no official launch date was released, the following video teasing the electric grand tourer is peppered with ‘MMXXI’ inscriptions, which if you don’t already know is Latin for 2021. That’s when the GranTurismo is slated to be launched with the GranCabrio set to arrive in 2022.
Watch this space for updates. For more information on Maserati, please visit our Showroom.
