Maserati halts electric Quattroporte development, its third EV delay

Local reports out of Europe state that Stellantis-owned luxury automaker Maserati is putting a pin in the development of an all-electric version of its Quattroporte sedan to ensure it can deliver on the performance previously touted by the Italian automaker. Quattroporte now joins Maserati’s two other flagship BEVs in facing delays.

We are now fours removed from a Stellantis held event in which luxury sub-brand Maserati introduced its new “Folgore” brand of electrified vehicles that were supposed to hit the market by 2025.

This strategy originally included both hybrid and fully-electric models, but learned Maserati would initially be delivering Folgore BEV versions of its GranTurismo coupe and Grecale SUV – both initially set to arrive in 2023.

We now sit about a month into 2024 and have yet to see Maserati deliver the fully electric models it has promised. Furthermore, the Italian automaker had previously introduced an additional all-electric model to its pipeline called the Maserati Quattroporte Folgore. Although it isn’t scheduled to arrive until 2025, it also faces delays.

Maserati Quattroporte EV needs more time to develop

The report of Maserati’s third EV model delay was initially posted by the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera and followed up by Automotive News Europe, which was told by a spokesperson for the company that the halt was triggered by “the need to take zero risks on the performance level of the new car.”

As recently as December 2023, Maserati CEO Davide Grasso promised an all-electric version of the luxurious Quattroporte sedan would debut in 2025, but that target remains much more murky. Italian media has reported that Maserati needs help to justify the Quattroporte Folgore from a business standpoint, asking its suppliers to cut their prices multiple times.

For now, Maserati’s initial BEV focus will be on continued deliveries of the GranTurismo Folgore, followed by the Grecale mentioned above Folgore, which is currently scheduled for Q2 deliveries this year. The second quarter should also bring the public debut of a third BEV called the GranCabrio Folgore, which we reported on in October 2022.

Maserati may tally the sales numbers of the GranTurismo and GranCabrio BEVs before it invests more time and money into the Quattroporte sedan. We will keep an eye on this.