Maserati is the kind of mythical car logo that will face resistance when you make primary design changes. If the transfer from V8 to V6 was no longer a key, the corporation hopes that its electric grantor Folgore will have what it takes to convince consumers to decide on an EV. I spoke with Maserati’s chief vehicle engineer, Sandro Bernardini, a worldwide product manager Massimo Capaldi about the design philosophy behind the folgore and what it means for the automaker’s long run.
The Maserati logo has been around for more than a century, with a strong racing pedigree in its early years. But while Maserati has been synonymous with speed in its history, its grand tours have been some of its most compelling vehicles. The original GranTurismo ended production in 2019 after 12 years, culminating a lineup of GT cars dating back decades. Now it’s back, but this time with an electric option along a classic edition of the internal combustion engine (ICE) (still with a V6, not a V8).
At the rather bedraggled Goodwood Festival of Speed, Sandro Bernadini explained to me how the Folgore would live up to its GranTurismo name. First of all, this is a powerful car. It has three 300kW (402hp) motors – one on the front and two on the rear – with silicon carbide inverters derived from the Maserati Formula E car and potent torque vectoring sending power to each wheel individually as required. However, the battery can’t deliver the 1,200+hp combined motor power, so the maximum available at any time is 560kW (761hp), with 1,350Nm of torque. But that is still enough to propel the car to 62mph in just 2.7 seconds and onwards to a top speed of 202mph.
The 92. Five KWh (83 kWh usable) battery is enough for 280 miles of WLTP range, which is a Tesla S model, however, the 800V subsystem can supply a DC load of up to 270 kW, so it can fill 20 to 80% in just 18 minutes, and adding 62 miles takes just five minutes. There’s also 22kW of AC charging, and up to 400kW of regeneration to put the force back into the batteries when braking. It will also be the Formula E-derived generation of Maserati vehicle.
These figures compare favorably with the Granturismo Trofeo with its V6 Nettuno internal combustion engine. The latter has just 542 hp and 649 nm of torque, which means it can succeed at 62 mph in 3. 5 seconds with a more sensible speed of 199 mph. Trophy has a greater diversity of over 400 miles and can be provided more quickly. It’s also 495kg lighter (1,795kg versus 2,260kg), so you’ll be a more agile reader. But no car is exactly light. This is a grand tourer, after all, not a special track day.
Maserati did not decide to use a Bev platform only for folgore, despite the fact that the matrix corporate stellantis that has a multitude of natural electrical characteristics pending on the wings. In fact, it stores a platform with the trophy, which can make you ask if it is a compromised electric car. It does not use the typical “curly board” design to begin with, where the batteries are in a flat block under the floor of the internal cabin. But Bernadini argues that his approach, with batteries in the middle of the car (where the transmission tube would be in the trophy) brings in combination the battery dough closer to the axes of curizers, improving the agility of the vehicle a replacement of a replacement of a replacement of a replacement of the vehicle Management Directorate. The first essays praised the effectiveness of this approach, despite the general weight.
The Folgore is meant to be part of a renaissance for Maserati, building on the positive reception of the thrilling and well received MC20 mid-engine sportscar. “With the MC20, we completely rebuilt the brand,” says Massimo Capaldi. “Starting from there, we made a clear decision to go electric.” He knew from the beginning that pitching an electric GranTurismo to Maserati’s existing customer would be challenging. “One of the challenges was to convince our own customers that are doubtful about electrification.” Maserati’s approach to this was to produce a halo vehicle to represent what electrification stands for with the brand. “We wanted to have the ICE version and the electric version at the dealership, one next to the other, to spread doubt with the customer. Should they buy one or the other? We wanted to make the GranTurismo Folgore and future models the best in terms of electric capabilities. For example, we did not limit the maximum speed and went all in with acceleration.”
“We also seek to make it exclusive,” Capaldi continues. The challenge was to create this doubt. We asked the engineering and design groups to make in one aspect a car that looks accurate and leads the same, but in the other aspect it gives something exclusive to Folgore with the suspension setup, balance and 3 motors. The reaction when driving to Folgore, feeling the full force of an electric car with driving and pleasure, means that no one will regret over the Trophy. »»
With a higher performance, the folgore intends to convince buyers of it over the Trophy.
Maserati has already had to convince its classic owners that the transfer of V8 to V6 Value Making. compay also needs, of course, to win new customers. But Capaldi does not necessarily need to decide on folgore above the trophy ice. “But our purpose is at least to make them review,” says Capaldi. “That is the genuine challenge. Normally, a sports car means the sound of a V8, V10 or V12 engine. But once you check Folgore, it is very difficult to return.
Maserati has long -lasting projects for an electric MC20, and also wants to create an electric roadster. But for the moment, the folgo granturismo is the company’s flagship electric vehicle. With the performance point, the luxury and appearance it offers, it is a vintage GT with the prospective to navigate for long distances at the maximum speed, which happens as a VE. That would possibly be what lovers of Italian Gran Turismo cars want to transfer to Electric.
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