Cruising in a Maserati screams luxury, comfort, elegance. Now Maserati will be associated with energy-efficiency, too.
The luxury vehicle brand will be the last premium automaker to get on the battery-electric car bandwagon, according to Fiat Chrysler (FCA) engineering boss Roberto Fedeli. By the time Maserati’s entry arrives, there will be a slew of electric vehicles in the premium segment from the likes of BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz, along with market-leader, Tesla. However, their offering will be unique.
"We have to arrive to the market with something different. Very different," says Fedeli.
The first Maserati EV is expected to be a sleek, low-volume coupe, with a target market differing from the four-door Tesla Fighter. In an interview at the Paris auto show, Fedeli cited a list of reasons why Maserati wouldn’t benchmark Tesla, including engineering quality, driving dynamics.
"A Tesla fighter probably [is] not a good idea. I don’t think that Tesla is the best product in the market...the execution and quality of the products of Tesla are the same as a German OEM in the 1970s. Their solutions are not the best.”
Instead, the company will stick to their trademarks: sporty design and driving experience, along with their signature engine sounds. Maserati employed a composer from Milano’s famed La Scala opera house to deliver the signature note in its internal-combustion V-6 and V-8 engines. Keeping with the brand and creating this obviously poses a challenge to the automakers, as electric engines are known to be quieter than gas-run counterparts.
Despite all potential challenges, Fedeli says that their electric Maserati would be out "before 2020, maybe 2019."
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