Ultra-luxury brand - Maserati's 1,000-horse GT to look forward to

If the electric revolution in the 19th century was the second technological revolution after the industrial revolution, then today's wave of electrification has also become the second driver revolution for cars after the internal combustion engine.

With lower-cost electric energy and more powerful motor power, the power quality of ordinary household trams has plummeted compared to the past. Under the unstoppable trend of new energy, the tentacles of electric motors continue to extend to higher-level models. The influx of models such as the Tesla Roadster, the Azera EP9, the Future K50, and the Eyen Hyper SSR are all illustrating that the road to pure electricity for sports cars has also arrived. Of course, the traditional ultra-luxury brands are no slouch either, with Maserati's first all-electric sports car, the new GranTurismo Folgore, already unveiled and set to go on sale next year. In the future, all pure electric versions of the Maserati brand will be called Folgore.

A true all-electric sports car

An ultra-luxury car brand known for its dynamic sound, turning to pure electricity? Maserati, with its business insight, has long seen that the future of automobiles must be purely electric. Instead of sticking to the afterglow of the fuel era, it is better to be a pioneer among ultra-luxury brands and to act quickly. Earlier this year Maserati announced its Folgore electrification strategy, which will see the brand electrify its entire range of models by 2030. Its all-electric pace is very tight, and next year, in addition to the launch of the new GranTurismo Folgore, an all-electric version of its second SUV, the Grecale, will also be launched.

This is not the first time Maserati has shown its business acumen ahead of its peers. When SUVs were becoming a global hit, most ultra-luxury brands scoffed at the idea that a tall "tool car" could be an example of speed and passion. Maserati is different, it realized the mainstream trend of the SUV category, as early as 2016 and launched the mid-size SUV Levante, which quickly became the breakout model of the ultra-luxury SUV, accounting for more than 70% of the brand's sales.

This time, Maserati has become the forerunner of the ultra-luxury brands, the first to break through the layer of a pure electric sports car, it can be expected that as long as the new GranTurismo Folgore is a big success in the market, other ultra-luxury brands will also go ahead and follow.

Strength?

In terms of product strength, the new Maserati GranTurismo Folgore has a very high chance of success with potential consumers.

It is simply beautiful, with a sporty Italian feel and all the proportional lines of a traditional GT car have been retained. With the long clamshell front hatch, the trident logo on the C-pillar, the retro and sporty lines, and the newly designed front and rear headlights, the design aesthetics of this generation of GranTurismo are superb, just like Sophia Loren that make people fall in love at first sight.

What's great about the new GranTurismo is that it has both a V6 fuel version equipped with a Poseidon twin-turbo engine and a Folgore pure electric version, which was designed at the beginning of development, and the height of the car is only 5 mm more, and the air spoiler on both sides of the Folgore version also improves the aerodynamic performance by 10%, and the wind resistance coefficient of the whole car reaches 0.26.

The importance of a lightweight body for a sports car naturally goes without saying. The new GranTurismo Folgore makes extensive use of lightweight materials such as aluminum and magnesium, with over 65% of the body made of aluminum. And the chassis is made of all aluminum to maximize the impact of battery weight.

The new GranTurismo Folgore is very low-slung, as a GT car should be. Maserati has abandoned the option of laying the battery flat underneath the car, placing it where the gearbox would have been and in the center axis, so the new GranTurismo Folgore maintains a low center of gravity while still allowing the driver to enjoy a spirited ride from a low seating position.

Whether it's the Levante, the Ghibli, or the MC20, the passion given by sound is what makes Maserati so attractive. The new GranTurismo Folgore is supposed to be as silent as a tram, but Maserati has cleverly extracted the sound of the pure electric model and blended it with the sound of the fuel car, through the car's 1200-watt Sonus The sound of the Maserati is still exciting, with the 1200-watt Sonus Faber luxury sound system inside.

Performance is never the only indicator of Maserati, but the brand's greatest appeal lies in the Italian gentleman's style, from the design to the materials used to customize the car, all flowing with a sense of aristocratic luxury, the new Maserati GranTurismo Folgore is synonymous with "luxury performance sports car".

Its interior has not yet been announced, but it is sure to be a touching Italian touch. According to the officials, the new GranTurismo Folgore comfort is further enhanced with a 20 mm raised rear seat, environmentally friendly recycled nylon seats, and equipped with an instrument display, central display, and smart clock, all systems can be connected to cell phones to keep up with the mainstream in terms of smart technology.

Returning to racing with pure electric power as a new starting point

As an ultra-luxury car brand with a motorsport pedigree, and standing at the start of the Folgore electrification strategy, this is the right time to return to racing, and it has to be purely electric. Maserati has decided to enter the 2023 ABB FIA Formula Electric World Championship (FE), its first return to single-seater motorsport in more than 60 years and the first Italian brand to participate in FE, going up against teams such as McLaren and Porsche.

Motorsport, which combines the leading technology, culture, and business of automobiles, must also be the world of new energy in the future. Different from the smooth, energy-saving needs of the family car, the use of new energy technology in the race, but also to accelerate the development of electric powertrain and intelligent software systems, the essence of racing competition is the technology chase. The pure electric sports car is the recipient of the first wave of dividends. Not only does the Maserati "Nettuno Poseidon" engine use F1 technology, but the new GranTurismo Folgore's triple electric system also uses technology from the Maserati FE Gen3 race car.

The new GranTurismo Folgore will be equipped with three electric motors, one at the front and two at the rear, for four-wheel drive, with a maximum theoretical power output of 1,200 hp and 0-100 km acceleration in 2.7 seconds. It is worth noting that its top speed can reach 320 km/h, higher than the fuel version. Thanks to the VDCM Vehicle Domain Controller, the new GranTurismo Folgore has different driving modes for different control of power, torque, and performance. In the CORSA track mode, all restrictions are lifted and the driver is given complete freedom to enjoy the purest of sports car pleasures.

The battery, also developed by Maserati, has a capacity of up to 92.5 kW/h and uses 800-volt technology to charge up to 100 km range in as little as five minutes. For Chinese customers, the new GranTurismo Folgore will have 400,000 charging piles available in China in the future, covering 90% of the rechargeable area, and will then offer an exclusive APP that will show the instant traffic, the number of charging points, the number of charging plugs per charging point, etc.

Conclusion

With the bend in the road of new energy vehicles, China's auto industry has emerged strongly, giving birth to new powerhouse models such as the Ideal, Azera, and Xiaopeng, which are popular with consumers, and the pace of new energy transformation in the auto industry is winding down. The new GranTurismo Folgore, the first purely electric sports car under the Folgore strategy, combines traditional luxury GT design elements with a top electric performance, enough to stun similar fuel-fired sports cars that have been around for a century. Very worth waiting for!